RE UA I think it's a no-brainer to ground their 737-max (even if they aren't the 8). Even it's just for the sake of PR. I am amazed the US airlines (and particularly UA as they have only a few) are dragging their feet on grounding the max. at least ground the 8. Going forward I will avoid all versions of the 737 max until the problem (s) are clearly fixed .... I didn't avoid Malaysia airlines after their two unlucky incidents ....

Reuters is reporting several witnesses saying smoke and items coming out of plane before crash. Sounds very different than the control software issue cited in prior crash.

Regardless, I am happy to see UA being proactive and understanding about people who want to avoid the MAX variants.

The problem with these reports (and similar reports the plane was on fire) is that its very hard to match them with the flight path that is commercially available. The only way that you would see "items of clothing" flying out would be some type of a bomb that blew open the hold, and that would not match the up down, up, down flight path. I for a while thought that their might have been an engine fire, but the pilot did not report one.

If there are signs of an engine fire or bomb we should know relatively quickly.

Eyewitness reports, especially from people generally unfamiliar w/aviation, are notoriously wrong. See TWA 800.

Plus - we know that the pilots radioed a problem. If there was a fire/explosion don't you think they'd said that and/or we'd already know that (debris is more than one location)?

I saw that too... interesting, but I take the observations of crash observers with heaping spoonfuls of salt. Unless they have some relevant basis of knowledge, it's hard to gauge the reliability of their recollection(s) after such an unusual, overwhelmingly dramatic event.

This is exactly the kind of illogic that plagues knee-jerk reactions made in the immediate aftermath of a crash.

If passengers are uncomfortable flying on a given type because of their personal perception of safety, then by all means, they should change their travel plans. Problems arise when people start stringing disparate facts together in a public forum, reaching unsupported conclusions, and making proclamations that aren't relevant to the underlying matter.

Smoke before crashing is VERY relevant. VERY revealing and VERY different than Lion Air. Causes? depressurization from fire, explosion, structural failure and on and on. It's nice to know what's up all being aviation enthusiasts, travel enthusiasts and professionals alike. HOWEVER, we need to sit tight...not make any judgments. But, I have a suspicion this one is going to be very different than the Lion Air.


And I dont agree with you that the pilot could recognize the issue. Remember ValuJet crashing in the Everglades? fire. pilots had no idea. one contained crash zone. many many possibilities and WAY too early to discount or give credit to anything. But multiple people seeing smoke makes me wonder....on a clear sunny day remember!

I have an upcoming flight that seatguru tells me is a 737 on United. How to know what variant i'm flying?

What does it say when you look at the trip details? (My Trip tab / Manage Reservation). It should say something like "Boeing 737-900." If the flight is scheduled to be operated with the MAX, it would say "Boeing 737 MAX 9."

Mohawk BAC 111 crash 1960s. Some type of fluid leak in the tail cause a fire & the crash. Problem identified & corrected.
DC 10 - AA engine flying off, corrected. Another the cargo door latch caused a crash. Identified & corrected.
In the 1960s there was a book about the 727 being the Libeled Aircraft after a series of crashes.

Back around 1970 there was a book published that described airline crashes over the prior 20 years and their causes. Flying is so much safer today. Just will have to wait and see the cause with the 737 Max.

The few times in your life where the plane is struck by lightning when the same model plane crashed two weeks before, or the landing gear has to be manually be cranked down & captain not sure if locked in place so you land with passengers in braced position in the event of crash (US Air), or it takes a half hour of to get the landing gear down on a Continental DC10 & crew starting to prepare for a crash landing.- this sort of makes you think twice before booking until issues resolved, if you are travelling with family members.

The pilots of ValuJet 592 were well aware of a smoke condition and a likely fire. Whether they knew with certainty its source or precise location is unknown, but it is evident they were trying to get the airplane on the ground as soon as possible; sadly, they were either incapacitated or lost control of the airplane before they had the chance to carry out an emergency landing.

Reportedly, an ET302 pilot communicated a controllability issue and requested immediate return to ADD. There is no mention of any other sort of catastrophic occurrence (fire, explosion, decompression, engine failure), but we'll soon learn whether any other major systems, unrelated to flight controls, failed or were malfunctioning in this case.

Ah thanks for the tip. It doesnt say anything about MAX, just Boeing 737-900 and Boeing 737-800

Not all MAXes are created equal. My best was AC 7M8 in Y - the entire experience was just wonderful - mind you this was a cross country trip (SFO-YYZ). My least best experience was AM 7M8 in J. Still, I have had generally positive experience on the 7M8 & 7M9 overall.

yes, all true. VJ592 was a smoked out cabin and pilots suspected (rightfully so) fire...but they had no idea as to the source or really what was going on...... Also we dont know the nature at all yet of the distress call. In fact, as far as I saw, only the ET CEO made that claim so far. (maybe updated) But a mechanical catastrophic event near, around some control hydraulic (as one example) could lead to control issues.....IDK, I am NOT a pilot or a mechanic....just an aviation enthusiast, frequent flier and follower of many past airline incidents...but if the witness who saw smoke coming out of the aircraft prior to impact is corroborated in in any way, it is a major early on detail that significantly differentiates Lion Air from ET.