P R O D U C T L I A B I L I T Y A T T O R N E Y F O C U S I N G O N A V I A T I O N C A S E S

Mike Andrews

American Airlines is credited with sparking the battle between Airbus and Boeing when it signed a massive order in 2011 for 260 Airbus A320 family airplanes.

That deal forced Boeing to follow Airbus’ strategy by revamping its 737 jets with new engines rather than taking the time to create a more ambitious full redesign of its top-selling jet.

Competition with Airbus

Boeing installed larger and more fuel-efficient engines that were mounted forward and higher. NEW ENGINE

Boeing 737 Max 8 Boeing 737-800

MCAS System

In certain conditions, this larger engine pushes the plane nose up, risking a stall.

New Demands for an Old PlaneCompetition from rival Airbus spurred Boeing to add new

engines to its workhorse 737 rather than create a new single-aisle jet.

Leap Engines and Pitch-up MovementThe MAX’s larger CFM Leap 1 Engines create more lift at a high AOA and give the aircraft a greater pitch-up moment than the CFM56-7-equipped NG. The MCAS was added as a certification requirement to minimize the handling difference between the MAX and NG

MCAS ActivationThe System Activates when the aircraft approaches threshold AOA for the aircraft’s configuration and flight profile. The MAX flight-control law changes from speed trim to the MCAS because the MCAS reacts more quickly to AOA changes.

Angle of Attack VanesThe MCAS’s primary data sources are the MAX’s two AOA sensing vanes, one on either side of the nose. Boeing designed the MCAS to receive input from only one of the sensors during each flight. The left and right sensors alternate between flights, feeding AOA data to the FCC and MCAS.

Stabilizer DeflectionWhen threshold AOA is reached, the MCAS commands 0.27 deg. of aircraft nose-down stabilizer deflection per second for 9.3 sec. – a total of 2.5 units of trim. When the FCC reads the AOA as back to below threshold, the MCAS is reset, and the aircraft’s trim returns to the pre-MCAS configuration. Inaccurate AOA data will trigger the MCAS every 5 sec. until the data is corrected or the system is disabled.

Disabling the SystemPilots can interrupt the MCAS in two ways: via the yoke-mounted electric trim switches, or using the STAB TRIM CUTOUT switches on the center console. The trim switches interrupt the MCAS for 5 sec. and establish a new stabilizer trim reference point. Toggling both cutout switches de-powers the MCAS and the speed trim system.

The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS): This stall-prevention system can mistakenly push the nose of the plane down repeatedly when fed erroneous data.

PROBLEM

1

MCAS was designed to help pilots avoid a stall when the nose of the plane rises too quickly in certain conditions. But the system can misfire when operating off inaccurate sensor information, triggering erroneous automatic flight-control commands.

Angle-of-attack disagreement: Not working was an alert system to warn pilots when the two angle-of-attack sensors show conflicting information, making it more difficult for pilots to diagnose flight-control problems.

PROBLEM

2Two vanes effectively measure to what degree the plane’s nose is angled up or down.Two vanes effectively measure to what degree the plane’snose is angled up or down.

THE FIX

07:20 Due to arrive at

Pangkal Pinang

06:33 Location of Crash

Intended Flight Path

06:20 Flight JT610 departs Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

LION AIR FLIGHT 610

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Lion

Air Flight JT 610. We extend our heartfelt

condolences and sympathies to the families

and loved ones of those on board.

We are confident in the safety of the 737 MAX.

Safety remains our top priority and is

a core value for everyone at Boeing.”

D A N I E L K . E L W E L L

F A A a d m i n i s t r a t o r

The agency’s extensive review of aggregate safety performance from operators and

pilots of the Boeing 737 MAX . . . shows no

systemic performance issues and provides no

basis to order grounding the aircraft.

10:25 Due to arrive at

Nairobi

Intended Flight Path

08:38 Flight ET302 departs Addis Abba 08:44 Location

of Crash

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES FLIGHT ET302

2 0 1 7

2 0 1 8

2 0 1 9

Mar 8Boeing announces plans for an unprecedented production ramp-up of 737s, including the new MAX, at Renton plant.

May 16Boeing delivers the first 737 MAX 8 to Malaysia-based Malindo Air,a subsidiary of Lion Air.

Oct 29A 737 MAX 8 operated by Lion Air crashes after departing Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board.

Nov 6An Indonesian investigation points to erroneous data send from a sensor on the nose of the plane, to the flight computer and the anti-stalling system (MCAS).

Jan 31Boeing reports 5,011 orders for the MAX from 79 customers.

Mar 10A 737 MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashes, killing all 157 people on board.

Mar 12FAA’s emergency order grounding Boeing jets came after the agency identified similarities between crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia.

Mar 17The US FAA, then Boeing, say that all certification procedures were followed for the 737 MAX.

APRIL 1, 2019

A federal grand jury issues a subpoena in a criminal probe

into Boeing’s 737 MAX certification.

APRIL 4, 2019

Preliminary crash report confirms Ethiopian 737 MAX

pilots lost control despite following Boeing’s instructions.

APRIL 5, 2019

Boeing announces plans to cut MAX production by 20 percent,

to 42 aircraft per month.

E T H I O P IA N

L E A D E R SBeasley Allen aviation lawyer Mike

Andrews, second from left, met with

Ethiopian Transport Minister

Dagmawit Moges, right, to discuss

the ongoing investigation into the

crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302.

E T H I O P I A N A I R L I N E S F L I G H T E T 3 0 2 – 1 5 7 S O U L S O N B O A R D – N O S U R V I V O R S

E T H I O P IA N

A I R L I N E S

Juliah joined the Kenyan Girl Guide Association in 2016. She worked as a branch coordinator in charge of the Young Leaders program. Juliah was also the Kenyan Girl Guides leader in charge of the YESS program. She lived in Nairobi with her two

daughters.

JULIAH MWASHI

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