Pilots, passengers ‘never had a chance’ in Boeing’s ‘flying coffins’

Boeing CEO agrees grounding the 737 Max aircraft after the first crash ‘would have been preferable’.

A Boeing 737 Max 8. Photo: AP

The first anniversary of the deadly Lion Air crash has been marked by an emotional appearance before the US Congress, of Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg.

Called to answer questions about the certification of the 737 Max 8, Mr Muilenburg was accused of “setting pilots up for failure” and putting passengers into “flying coffins”.

It came as next of kin marked a year since a near new Boeing 737 Max 8 nosedived into the Java Sea within 13 minutes of take-off on October 29, 2018, with 189 people on board.

READ MORE: Lion Air crash report faults design | Boeing tried to minimise need for pilot training on 737 MAX

The tragedy exposed for the first time a new feature of the aircraft added by Boeing, without telling pilots.

Any mention of the manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system or MCAS which was designed to force the aircraft’s nose down, was omitted from flight manuals and training.

In the days that followed the crash, an emergency directive was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration drawing attention to MCAS, and how pilots should deal with erroneous activations.

Investigations

Boeing began work then on a software fix for the feature, which activated when the aircraft was being manually flown, based on information fed from a single angle of attack sensor.

But the 737 Max continued to fly and five months later, on March 10, 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines’ aircraft crashed just six minutes from take off, killing all 157 people on board.

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg testifies. Picture: AP

As a result, all Boeing 737 Max were grounded worldwide and the disturbing story of how the aircraft came to be certified was revealed.

Allegations that the FAA had given Boeing much responsibility for certification proved to be well-founded, triggering investigations by the FBI and the US Congress.

That led to Tuesday’s appearance before the Commerce Committee by Mr Muilenburg, who admitted Boeing “made mistakes and got some things wrong” with the 737 Max.

Asked why the aircraft was not grounded after the first crash, Mr Muilenburg agreed that would have been preferable.

“If we knew everything back then that we know now, we would have made a different decision,” he said.

His answers did not satisfy senators however, who claimed the pilots and passengers of the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines’ flights “never had a chance”.

“They were in flying coffins as a result of Boeing deciding that it was going to conceal MCAS from the pilots,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal.

Senator Tammy Duckworth said the manufacturer set the pilots up for failure.

“Boeing has not told the whole truth to this committee and to the families and to the people looking at this … and these families are suffering because of it,” said Senator Duckworth.

Committee chairman Roger Wicker added “both of these accidents were entirely preventable”.

Boeing remained hopeful of returning the 737 Max to service by the end of the year, but a column written by FAA director Steve Dickson was less optimistic.

“The FAA is fully committed to address all of the recommendations raised by (crash) investigators, including those that pertain to when, whether or how the 737 Max will return to service,” wrote Mr Dickson.

“As we have said repeatedly, the aircraft will fly only after we determine it is safe.”

Southwest Airlines has taken the 737 Max out of its schedule until early next year and Silk Air has stored its aeroplanes in the central Australian desert until the grounding is lifted.

Senator John Tester told the committee he would “walk before he got on a 737 Max”.

“When issues like this happen, it costs your company huge,” he said.

with wires