https://www.reuters.com/article/us-b...-idUSKCN1T8284
Boeing decided in November 2017 to defer a software update to correct the so-called AOA Disagree alert defect until 2020, three years after discovering the flaw, U.S. Congressmen Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen said in a press release on Friday. Boeing only accelerated this schedule after the Lion Air accident in Indonesia, they added.
Boeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe said by email that a company safety review found the absence of the AOA Disagree alert did not adversely impact airplane safety or operation.
“Based on the safety review, the update was scheduled for the MAX 10 entry into service in 2020,” Johndroe said. “We fell short in the implementation of the AoA Disagree alert and are taking steps to address these issues so they do not occur again.”
Not really related to the crash or MCAS, but it does illustrate a pattern of behavior where safety is of less concern to Boeing than secrecy.
Boeing
intended to provide the AoA-disagree alert because it was felt to be a beneficial safety feature. When it didn't work as expected, Boeing decided to hide it rather than fix it. That's a problem with corporate philosophy-mindset which can be used to infer the same cavalier attitude went into the design/implementation of MCAS.
If Boeing is sloppy about safety-related software issues in 1 aspect of 737 Max - it strongly suggests the same attitude carried over into MCAS.
This will seriously hurt Boeing's credibility as they try to get the 737 Max certified, and it also brings into question whether Boeing's existing software team is really the best group to address their own failures.