Ethiopian 737 Max 8 crash and Fallout

[jakeseven7]

Boeing 737 MAX expected to remain grounded until at least August. 737 MAX deliveries expected to return in third quarter. Boeing CEO David Calhoun says total of about 450 MAX jets built and put into storage.

Why doesn't Boeing just start their own airline with the 450 death traps no one really wants?

Wonder how many people would fly them

 

[straitman]

Why doesn't Boeing just start their own airline with the 450 death traps no one really wants?

Wonder how many people would fly them

They will be up and flying though not quite as quickly as Boeing might like. It seems the FAA is the problem now. I'll post details a bit later.

 

[straitman]

There are several articles on this in various aviation publications. This one is the shortest and possibly the most concise and discusses how the Senate committee is now blaming the FAA for delaying the recertification of the 737 Max.


The FAA’s handling of the 737 MAX crisis has come under fire at a US Senate hearing held Wednesday, with one member accusing the agency of “stonewalling” the investigation.
“Your team at the FAA has attempted deliberately to keep us in the dark,” another representative told FAA chief Stephen Dickson.
On his part, Dickson largely rebuffed claims that his agency had been lax in its investigation of the grounded plane, stating it remains “totally committed to the oversight process”.
“I believe it is inaccurate to portray the agency as unresponsive,” Dickson said, pointing to its co-operation in multiple investigations. “There is still ongoing work.”
Dickson did, however, admit that mistakes were made by both Boeing and the FAA, sparking a heated exchanged with Republican senator Ted Cruz.
“So unknown somebodies made unspecified mistakes for which there were no repercussions,” Senator Cruz said. “What mistakes were made and who made them?”
Unsurprisingly, Dickson pointed to Boeing’s development and implementation of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which has been a key focus of Boeing’s redesign process. Investigations into both crashes of the 737 MAX showed that the MCAS repeatedly pushed down the jet’s nose, as pilots struggled to regain control.
Dickson reiterated that he remains the “final sign-off authority in the US”, and said that he is “not going to sign off on the aircraft until I fly it myself”, a point he first went public with late last year.
The hearing comes just one day after the passage of the Aircraft Safety and Certification Reform Act, which would expand the FAA’s powers to hire and/or remove Boeing employees involved with certification tasks. The legislation also provides added protections to potential whistleblowers within the company.

 

[marki]

Letter, sent earlier this month, argues that it’s not enough for Boeing to fix the flawed Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) that’s known to have brought down the aircraft in two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

“I have no doubt the FAA and lawmakers are under considerable pressure to allow the 737 MAX to return to service as quickly as possible and as soon as the public MCAS flaw is fixed,” Ewbank told the Senate. “However, given the numerous other known flaws in the airframe, it will be just a matter of time before another flight crew is overwhelmed by a design flaw known to Boeing and further lives are senselessly lost.”

more here: Boeing whistleblower alleges systemic problems with 737 MAX

 

[p--and--t]

Reported on Airline Geeks today:


"The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing 737-8 and 737-9 MAX airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report that certain exterior fairing panels on the top of the engine nacelle and strut (the thumbnail fairing and mid strut fairing panels) may not have the quality of electrical bonding necessary to ensure adequate shielding of the underlying wiring from the electromagnetic effects of high intensity radiated fields (HIRF), which could potentially lead to a dual-engine power loss event and/or display of hazardously misleading primary propulsion parameters. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. "

 

[codash1099]

I profess ignorance in these matters, but, if this is correct, Boeing may still have a long way to go.

 

[OATEK]

Test flights coming up?

Boeing: Critical 737 Max test flights begin

The tests are a major milestone in Boeing's efforts to get the 737 Max back into service.

www.bbc.com

 

[jb747]

You have to wonder how many of those already built aircraft will be able to find a home. The normal storage places are pretty full, and I can’t see many airlines wanting to take delivery of much at the moment.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

...and I can’t see many airlines wanting to take delivery of much at the moment.

... or if you want to attract business post-covid. The max will hardly be a selling point

 

[Flying Fox]

Boeing are starting testing of B737 Max 8 V2.0 soon.

Boeing to restart 737 MAX test flights this week

20 months after the first fatal crash and 15 months since the jet was grounded, the Boeing 737 takes to the skies again.

www.executivetraveller.com

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Boeing are starting testing of B737 Max 8 V2.0 soon.

more like V22.0

 

[UP4014]

From the Dept of Transportation, released overnight. Timeline of activities leading to certification.

https://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/default/files/FAA%20Oversight%20of%20Boeing%20737%20MAX%20Certification%20Timeline%20Final%20Report.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

 

[jb747]

I’d love to know if they are testing spurious AoA inputs in flight....

 

[flyer89]

I’d love to know if they are testing spurious AoA inputs in flight....

Will there be any airlines to order them even if they aren’t?

 

[jb747]

Will there be any airlines to order them even if they aren’t?

They aren’t ordered by pilots.

 

[jenib]

Will there be any airlines to order them even if they aren’t?

I guess it depends on when the virus is under control and the price. I know I will be avoiding travelling on them when air travel opens up - not only related to safety but mainly because of the lack of ethics the company demonstrated. Trust is destroyed easily and takes a lot of effort to regain.

 

[codash1099]

The problems at Boeing are more extensive than those with the 737.

Probe of failed Boeing Starliner launch finds a long list of problems

The independent team NASA and Boeing formed to look into Starliner’s failed flight to the ISS is done with its investigation. The joint review team ended their investigation with 80 recommendations for NASA and Boeing to address, with the most notable suggestion being the performance of...

www.engadget.com

It would seem that there's something wrong in the whole culture of the organisation.

 

[jb747]

It would seem that there's something wrong in the whole culture of the organisation.

A bit of a hunt around the net will net you a myriad articles dealing with this. The general premise is that when Boeing bought McDonnell, a reverse take over of management occurred. MDD had experience with the military (and the huge cost overruns to prove it), but was not an airliner maker. Since the take over, Boeing have not been able to cleanly finish any programs at all. The original 777 was their last goal.

Since then, the 767 tanker, 787, 737 Max, 747-8 have all been varying degrees of disastrous. Their spacecraft are not faring any better. They’re the prime contractor for the SLS, which is so far over budget, and so delayed, that it’s only the fact that it’s a politically inspired jobs program for the states involved that’s keeping it alive.

I loved the earlier Boeing aircraft that I flew. If I were in a position to affect an airline’s purchases, I wouldn‘t go near them now.

 

[jenib]

Apologies if it has already been posted but it looks like Boeing will have to jump through more hoops. With the virus, it looks more and more doubtful that it will fly very often (except for perhaps Southwest - good reminder to self to avoid!) Boeing 737 MAX Needs New Computer Systems to Meet Airworthiness Requirements

 

[straitman]

Apologies if it has already been posted but it looks like Boeing will have to jump through more hoops. With the virus, it looks more and more doubtful that it will fly very often (except for perhaps Southwest - good reminder to self to avoid!) Boeing 737 MAX Needs New Computer Systems to Meet Airworthiness Requirements

This seems like a very shallow article that gives little information and incorrect perspective. There is a lot more articles out there that explain things a whole lot better.