Someone give this journalist a Pulitzer

[bradp]

Probably the best written, researched aviation article I’ve read about the lion air MCAS controversy.  Sorry if there is a paywall  

https://nyti.ms/2UCzEom

[Mcstealth]

On 2/10/2019 at 5:49 PM, bradp said:

Probably the best written, researched aviation article I’ve read about the lion air MCAS controversy.  Sorry if there is a paywall  

https://nyti.ms/2UCzEom

So, even though the pilot is doing everything he can that he thinks is right to keep the plane from nosing down, the computer was overriding the Pilot's manual commands. Only one angle of attack sensor is used when there are two available. That one sensor goes bad ,computer doesn't know it, pilot maybe doesn't follow all procedures correctly but is trying to fly the plane manually and a computer won't let him.  Crash. Hmmmmm.

Yes. The article is written very well. No payroll issues for me

[steingar]

Sorry, the same thing happened to me as those Lio Air pilots.  My autopilot became a killbot and tried to murder me.  Taking off as I was stowing the gear the airplane rolled strongly tot he right.  By the time I looked up I was pointed at the ground.  Pulled the nose up, but couldn't level the wings.  Hit the autopilot cutoff and flew out of it.

Those guys should have followed their procedures.  Whole bunch of people would be alive if they did.  If a numbnutz like me can do it you'd think seasoned pros could as well.

[Jeff_S]

So I read the article, and agree that it didn’t have any of the more obvious technical errors that many journalists make. But I believe the authors still took an angle of attacking (sorry, couldn’t resist!) the company and the FAA for what they considered to be shortcuts or decisions to make cheaper certification possible.

It seems to me that if there is an established procedure for handling stabilizer trim emergencies, and that procedure works just as well for the new design, then it shouldn’t require retraining pilots.

Based on this article, what I see as more at fault is the prior pilots’ lax attitude about squawking known deficiencies in this particular aircraft, and the company’s lax approach to addressing those squawks. If those prior pilots had written up their experience and forced the maintenance crew to take it seriously, the plane would likely have been grounded. It would be good to get a US pilot’s opinion on that.

But even with that, if the accident pilots had followed the established emergency procedure, the article indicates the accident could have been avoided. So again, blame the pilots, or blame the “money grubbing” (my words) corporation...that also has strong insurance?  The latter approach is what sells newspapers!