US regulators considered grounding some Boeing 737 MAX planes last year after learning of a problem with a system that is now the main suspect in two deadly crashes, a source close to the matter said.
The inspectors were in charge of monitoring Southwest Airlines, the biggest user of 737 MAX planes, with a fleet of 34 of them at the time, added the source. It was at that point inspectors learned Boeing had opted to make the malfunction alert an optional extra costing more money -- and had deactivated the signal on all 737 MAX delivered to Southwest without telling the carrier.
The Ethiopia Airlines crash left all 157 people on the plane dead and led to all Boeing 737 Max planes all over the world being grounded. In this case too the MCAS is being looked at as a possible cause of the crash. Called"disagree lights" in Boeing parlance, these lights turn on when faulty information is sent from so-called angle of attack sensors to the MCAS. Those sensors monitor whether the wings have enough lift to keep the plane flying.
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Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »