The Boeing 737 MAX is Still Flying — Despite Evidence
By Ed Pierson
Ask almost anyone what caused two Boeing 737 MAX planes to crash moments after takeoff in 2018 and 2019, and they’ll likely say what has been repeatedly parroted by the media and U.S. government agencies: a software malfunction. This theory, expertly peddled by Boeing’s public relations army, is a narrative that regulators have been content to support. But in reality, a wealth of evidence shows this malfunction was only partly to blame.
There is no doubt that flawed software was a contributing factor in these tragedies. But it is now well documented that the implicated Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) software that repeatedly pitched the planes downward was triggered in both crashes by the failure of an Angle of Attack (AOA) sensor—a three-pound component of the 737 MAX’s highly interconnected flight control system.
To close the case after focusing almost solely on the software malfunction is to completely ignore a question that virtually screams from the Indonesian and Ethiopian governments’ reports on the accidents: Why did the AOA sensor fail in each of these airplanes? This vital question has not been satisfactorily answered by Boeing or by U.S. investigators, meaning the root causes of the 737 MAX crashes have not been fully addressed—endangering the flying public.
On December 23, 2022, the Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released its 331-page final report on the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines plane. The report concludes the AOA sensor on flight ET302 failed due to production quality defects. It further emphasizes that the crashed Indonesian and Ethiopian planes both displayed defects and anomalies before their fatal flights, and details “intermittent flight control system abnormalities [that] began well before the accident flight.”
According to the report, these issues on the Ethiopian plane began to occur in December 2018 "when the airplane was one month old" and included "several pilot write ups involving temporary fluctuations of vertical speed and altitude.” There were three cases of the “airplane rolling during autopilot operation,” and “altitude and vertical speed indications on the PFD (Primary Flight Display) showed erratic and exaggerated indications.”
Comment from FlyersRights
MAX crashes caused by multiple manufacturing defects say final crash reports by Ethiopia and Indonesia and Boeing whistle blower Ed Pierson, but Boeing still blames pilots and NTSB blames Birds.
