Boeing manipulated tests with the 737 MAX by telling pilots in advance how to react to certain situations in tests. In doing so, the company, together with the American aviation regulator FAA, attempted to conceal “important information” that contributed to the crashes with the aircraft, investigators conclude in their final report.
A committee of the US Senate conducted an investigation for more than a year and a half, based on reports from fifty whistleblowers, numerous interviews and 15,000 pages of documents.
The pilots would have been instructed in advance how to respond as quickly as possible to a malfunction in the infamous MCAS system, which automatically pushed the nose of the aircraft down. Errors in that warning system crashed two 737 MAX aircraft in a short time, killing a total of 346.
‘Press the pickle switch’
Remember: hit that right away pickle switchBoeing employees are said to have told pilots shortly before simulator tests, who were organized in the process of re-approving the aircraft for aviation more than a year after the second crash.
The pilots responded to the problem in about four seconds, allowing them to stabilize the rapidly descending plane again. But in another test, a pilot only solved the problem after sixteen seconds.
Professor of Aeronautical Engineering Joris Melkert explained at Niewsuur last year how the MCAS system failed in the crash of Lion Air’s 737 MAX, which crashed in the Java Sea at the end of 2018:
An FAA whistleblower reported the manipulation of the tests to the investigating committee. Investigators were able to confirm his story through testimonials from other FAA employees.
During the investigation, the committee also discovered that the FAA continues to take tough action against whistleblowers. Furthermore, the United States Department of Transportation declined to hand over documents to the investigators.
FAA needs oversight
Commission President Roger Wicker called the results “alarming”. The 101-page report, he says, is full of examples of shortcomings in aviation safety oversight in the US and failing leadership at the FAA.
Wicker: “It is clear that the agency needs oversight to ensure that their job – which is to protect the flying public – is done safely and properly.” Earlier this year, the House of Representatives also ruled harshly about the role of the FAA in the crashes of the 737 MAX aircraft.
The FAA said in a statement to the AP news agency that the Senate report contains “a number of baseless allegations” and defends the certification process of the 737 MAX, which the regulator said was thorough. Boeing does not want to respond substantively, but emphasizes that it takes the committee’s findings seriously.
Last month, the FAA approved 737 MAX flights in the US, after Boeing made necessary adjustments to the aircraft. In October there was already a green light in Europe and the aircraft is now flying again in Brazil.
Here is a look back at the crashes and the consequences for Boeing: