‘Series of failures’ caused Boeing’s 737 Max Lion Air crash
A series of failures is to blame for the fatal crash of a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max jet last October, in a tragedy that killed 189 people, according to a official report.
Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee said mistakes by Boeing, Lion Air and pilots led to the plane crash.
Read more: Design flaws linked to Boeing’s Lion Air crash, victims’ families hear
The jet should have been grounded after an earlier fault, but one of the pilots was not familiar with the procedures, investigators found.
A vital sensor bought from a repair shop in Florida had not undergone adequate testing, the report found.
Meanwhile 31 pages were missing from the plane’s maintenance log.
Previously the investigators have said mechanical and design problems with the Lion Air jet were central reasons behind the disaster.
Boeing boss Dennis Muilenburg said: “We are addressing the KNKT’s safety recommendations, and taking actions to enhance the safety of the 737 Max to prevent the flight control conditions that occurred in this accident from ever happening again.”
He added: “Over the past several months Boeing has been making changes to the 737 Max.
“Most significantly, Boeing has redesigned the way Angle of Attack (AoA) sensors work with a feature of the flight control software known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
“Going forward, MCAS will compare information from both AoA sensors before activating, adding a new layer of protection.
“In addition, MCAS will now only turn on if both AoA sensors agree, will only activate once in response to erroneous AOA and will always be subject to a maximum limit that can be overridden with the control column.
“These software changes will prevent the flight control conditions that occurred in this accident from ever happening again.”
Boeing is now updating crew manuals and pilot training to ensure they can fly the 737 Max safely.
The airplane manufacturer faces scrutiny over how much and how early it knew about the 737 Max’s air flight control system problems.
Read more: Boeing profits slump 51 per cent due to 737 Max ban
Boeing said this week it expects its jet to return to the skies before the end of the year.
It posted a 20 per cent drop in revenue due to the ban on 737 Max planes, which had a knock-on effect on airlines’ orders for new models.