Originally Posted by
skywardhunter
This is all a bit misleading, the software that is at issue, MCAS, is not permanently in use, it addresses a very specific scenario, based on load speed, temperature and most importantly angle of attack.
That's true, but it does seem that it's possible to get the B737MAX into a completely non-recoverable situation - even without MCAS.
From what I've read, after the initial MCAS triggered, the pilots did the right thing. However, they were then in the situation where they had to pull with all their strength so that the elevator counteracted the nose down attitude of the horizontal stabiliser. Because of the forces on the HS, they couldn't then manually trim it back. They were only 1000 feet above the ground, and the speed was rising all the time - if they'd reduced the power, that would have also pushed the nose down further.
So, at this point, there was nothing they could really do - and MCAS was disabled. They took a chance and reactivated the electronic trim (which re-activated MCAS). This worked for a short time, but then MCAS kicked in again - and game over.