Stranger

I stayed out of the SFO thread.

Relevant authorities do get involved when issues arise. And they already have in the current case, albeit on an emergency basis only. Last week the FAA also got involved in an issue with PW4000 engines and a risk of fire.

But he current issue is tough, because at this stage, while the MCAS protection is needed, no one truly has an idea how often it would avoid an accident, and likewise, how often it will contribute to an accident. So who knows if it is likely than another accident will happen within a year, or twenty? If they knew it's the latter, they might ground the plane. But if they do, there will be many unhappy campers who might argue it's an overkill. OTOH if they don't and another accident happens they'll get blamed.

IluvSQ

I cancelled 2 people on one 7M8 flight, and 3 people on another, and switched them a A320's by calling in, and told the agent my reason.
Whether or not that gets passed up the line, I have no idea.

I cancelled another reservation on line, and switched in to a A320 ( at a more inconvenient date and time), but AC will have no idea why.

But I have another question - are there any other software fixes that Boeing may have installed without telling and training pilots on?

canadiancow

Probably tens of thousands.

HerpaYvr

Perhaps its the military in me, but when your number comes up......It comes up!

IluvSQ

Actually, the more I read about this, admittedly from " unofficial sources" - since Boeing, AC, FAA, etc are not saying anything - , the more this brings to
mind the Mercedes-Benz cheating software on their diesel engines. Can't perform mechanically the way you want it to? No problem, here's a software
fix to make everything look good. And hopefully no-one will ever find out....

canopus27

According to the Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/busines...s-after-crash/

Boeing will convene a conference call today with airlines worldwide that fly its 737 MAX aircraft to answer questions about the plane model involved in a fatal Indonesia crash.

I don't expect there to be any public announcements about this, but it's feasible that more news will leak out after the call.

YYC traveler

Maybe won't be happening after all, Boeing cancels airline call on 737 MAX systems: sources Reuters

quantumofforce

Am I impervious to all assaults except by firearm?

​​​​​​Seems like a political slide thrown in there.

IluvSQ

So now that I have made my decision to avoid these birds, how to do so? I've just been reviewing my next 14 segment trip to/through Asia,
and several of the flights are on 73H, 73G, and 738 birds according to Expert Flyer. Am I correct in assuming that the only designation
being used for the MAX is 7M8, and all the others are older, safer versions of the 737?

Cozmo456

No plane from the 60's is safe IMHO.

Tart it up with all this crap. But the wings and basic design is old and flawed.

s_yvr

Looks like Sunwing had an issue on a 7M8.. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...cident-453805/

Spurious feels like a bit of an understatement: "It descended to 25,000ft as a precaution, in order to clear instrument meteorological conditions, but – as it passed 28,000ft – the weather radar and collision-avoidance system both failed."

shadowspar

TSB reports that the left ADIRU was replaced after the incident, the failure of which sounds like it could have a knock-on effect on at least the weather radar as well.

Most of what I've heard about the Lion Air crash has focused on the faulty AoA sensor, but now I can't help but wonder if some interaction between it and the ADIRU was at play.

Incident: Sunwing B38M near Washington on Nov 14th 2018, multiple system failures

RangerNS

The Mercedes-Benz cheating was specifically designed to thwart regulatory tests. It did not impact safety, unless you count the very abstract climate impact the cheat allowed for.

The analogy I alluded to earlier, Therac-25 is closer. The hardware was changed and the software was changed, but the new whole system did not get a full rigorous test. Or maybe it is worse than that, it did get a test and bean counters pushed it through anyway.

WildcatYXU

Actually, Boeing designed a new wing for the 737NG. Just too bad they wanted to keep the aircraft low.

24left

Some interesting comments

QUOTE:

"The data also showed that in the final seconds, as they struggled to pull the Boeing Co 737 Max 8 out of a dive that was being commanded by the plane's flight computers, the pilots were pulling back on the control column with a force of as much as 100 pounds of pressure.

However, the data indicated that the plane was controllable - the pilots had kept it under control for about 10 minutes before the final plunge - and records from the previous flight of the same jet showed another set of pilots had an identical set of failures and landed safely.

"There are so many questions it's sort of hard to put in one short statement," said Mr Roger Cox, a retired investigator with the US National Transportation Safety Board and a former airline pilot.

"I would be very interested in knowing why one crew was able to cope with this stick shaker and trim anomaly, and why the next crew could not," Mr Cox said. "And I'd want to know why Lion Air could not or would not repair the problem."

....."The manufacturer has sent two updates to operators of the Max jet since the crash, which include reminders that there are existing emergency procedures for such situations.

"We are confident in the safety of the 737 Max. Safety remains our top priority and is a core value for everyone at Boeing," the company said."

--
The Straits Times / Bloomberg Nov 24 2018

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/u...s-before-crash