MAX oppdatering - Alvorlig for Boeing - Curt Lewis

Boeing waited until after Lion Air crash to tell Southwest safety alert was turned off on 737 Max KEY POINTS Boeing did not tell Southwest, its largest 737 Max customer, that a safety feature was turned off. The safety feature is an alert that lights up in the cockpit if a plane's angle-of-attack sensors transmit faulty data about the pitch of the plane's nose. Southwest did not know about the change until after the fatal Lion Air crash. The FAA even considered grounding Southwest's Max fleet while they weighed whether or not the airline's pilots needed additional training about the safety alert, according to The Wall Street Journal. Boeing did not tell Southwest Airlines, its largest 737 Max customer, that a standard safety feature designed to warn pilots about malfunctioning sensors had been deactivated on the jets. The safety feature is an alert that lights up in the cockpit if a plane's angle-of-attack sensors transmit faulty data about the pitch of the plane's nose. This feature is known as an angle-of-attack disagree light and was included in previous versions of the 737. Southwest did not know about the change until after the fatal crash of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia. The airline, in a statement to CNBC, said Boeing had indicated through its manual that the disagree lights were functional on the 737 Max. Southwest said Boeing told the airline that the disagree lights were inoperable only after the Lion Air crash. The airline subsequently took action to turn the alerts on. Southwest Airline's statement: Upon delivery (prior to the Lion Air event), the AOA Disagree lights were depicted to us by Boeing as operable on all MAX aircraft, regardless of the selection of optional AOA Indicators on the Primary Flight Display (PFD). The manual documentation presented by Boeing at Southwest's MAX entry into service indicated the AOA Disagree Light functioned on the aircraft, similar to the Lights on our NG series. After the Lion Air event, Boeing notified us that the AOA Disagree Lights were inoperable without the optional AOA Indicators on the MAX aircraft. At that time, Southwest installed the AOA Indicators on the PFD, resulting in the activation of the AOA Disagree lights - both items now serve as an additional crosscheck on all MAX aircraft. Federal Aviation Administration safety inspectors and supervisors were also unaware of the change, according to government and industry officials that spoke to The Wall Street Journal. The FAA even considered grounding Southwest's Max fleet while they weighed whether or not the airline's pilots needed additional training about the safety alert, according to the Journal. But those discussions were brief and did not go up the chain, the newspaper reported. Boeing, in a statement to CNBC, said the "angle-of-attack" disagree lights would be included as a standard Max feature. "As we return to service, all customers will have the AOA disagree alert as standard and have the option to include the AOA indicator at no cost," a Boeing spokesperson said. "This change will be made to all MAX aircraft - production and retrofit." Boeing's 737 Max was grounded by the FAA in March in the wake of fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people. Several major airlines have extended Max flight cancellations through the summer. American has canceled Max flights through Aug. 19, totaling 115 flights per day, while Southwest has canceled through Aug. 5 and United through June 5.

Pilots demand better training if Boeing wants to rebuild trust in 737 MAX CHICAGO (Reuters) - American Airlines pilots have warned that Boeing Co's draft training proposals for the troubled 737 MAX do not go far enough to address their concerns, according to written comments submitted to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and seen by Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The cockpit of Jet Airways Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft is pictured during its induction ceremony at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai, India, June 28, 2018. REUTERS/Abhirup Roy/File Photo The comments were made by the Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents pilots at American Airlines Group Inc, the world's largest airline and one of the biggest 737 MAX operators in the United States. Their support is important because Boeing has said pilots' confidence in the 737 MAX will play a critical role in convincing the public that the aircraft is safe to fly again. Boeing's fast-selling 737 MAX was grounded worldwide in March following a fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 on board just five months after a similar crash on a Lion Air flight that killed all 189 passengers and crew. Now it is readying for regulatory approval a final software update and training package to address an anti-stall system known as MCAS that played a role in both nose-down crashes. A draft report by an FAA-appointed board of pilots, engineers and other experts concluded that pilots only need additional computer-based training to understand MCAS, rather than simulator time. The public has until April 30 to make comments. Protesters are expected outside Boeing's annual meeting in Chicago on Monday, where shareholders will also question the company over its safety record. APA is arguing that mere computer explanation "will not provide a level of confidence for pilots to feel not only comfortable flying the aircraft but also relaying that confidence to the traveling public." It said the MAX computer training, which originally involved a one-hour iPad course, should include videos of simulator sessions showing how MCAS works along with demonstrations of other cockpit emergencies such as runaway stabilizer, a loss of control that occurred on both doomed flights. APA also called for recurring training on simulators that includes scenarios like those experienced by the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines pilots, in addition to computer training. "When pilots visually experience the failure modes and then apply them, the lesson is cemented in their minds," APA wrote. American Airlines has said it is looking at the potential for additional training opportunities in coordination with the FAA and its pilots union. Canada, Europe and South Korea are all weighing the need for simulator training, going above the recommendations in the draft FAA report, sources have said. Required simulator training could delay the MAX's return to service because it takes time to schedule hundreds or thousands of pilots on simulators. Hourly rates for simulators range between $500 and $1000, excluding travel expenses. American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker said on Friday that even if other countries delay the ungrounding of the MAX, once the FAA approves it, American will start flying its 24 aircraft. Union pilots for Southwest Airlines Co, the world's largest operator of the MAX with 34 jets and dozens more on order, have said they were satisfied with the FAA draft report but would decide on additional training once they see Boeing's final proposals.

Southwest Says It Wasn't Told by Boeing That a Safety Alert on the 737 Max Had Been Deactivated Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are parked on the tarmac after being grounded, at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, California on March 28, 2019. MARK RALSTON-AFP/Getty Images Southwest Airlines says Boeing did not disclose that it had deactivated a safety feature on its 737 Max jets until after one of the airliners crashed last year.At issue is an alert that tells pilots if a sensor - called an "angle of attack" (AOA) indicator - is transmitting bad data about the pitch of a plane's nose. The sensor's alerts had been operational in previous versions of the 737 but were switched off in the 737 Max.The news first appeared Sunday in The Wall Street Journal. The Journal also reported that Federal Aviation Administration safety inspectors and supervisors did not know about the change either. The FAA declined to comment.In a statement Sunday, Southwest said that the safety feature was "depicted to us by Boeing as operable on all Max aircraft." Only after a Lion Air 737 Max crashed in Indonesia last Oct. 29 did Boeing say the feature wasn't turned on, Southwest said. The Max was grounded after a second crash, involving an Ethiopian Airlines jet, on March 10. In response to the Journal story, Boeing said that as the Max planes return to service "all customers will have the AOA disagree alert as standard." Earlier this month, an Ethiopian government report found that a malfunctioning sensor sent faulty data to the 737 Max 8's anti-stall system, forcing down the nose of the jet. The pilots could not regain control of the aircraft; 157 died in the crash. Last year's Lion Air crash killed 189.

FSF Urges World Regulators to Recommit to Collaborative Approach in Certification Decisions ALEXANDRIA, Va. - After the tragic Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents and the fragmented approach in grounding the Boeing 737 MAX, regulators from around the world are gathering for a special certification review to fully understand the flight control system, human factors or other considerations and to validate any proposed solutions, including training requirements. The interim reports from both accidents, while not comprehensive or final, are important inputs to the deliberations. "We urge the participants to recommit to a collaborative, data-driven approach to airworthiness and certification decisions," said Dr. Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation. "We need to not only restore public confidence in the safety of the aircraft but also preserve the well-established certification and airworthiness process that's produced the world's safest mode of transportation." A key component of this process is the mutual acceptance and validation of the certifying authority's certification decisions. This long-standing practice, which has evolved over many decades, has ensured a harmonized and orderly approach to certification and has enhanced global aviation safety. The Foundation believes strongly that authorities participating in this review should adopt a data-driven and scientific approach to understanding the automated flight control system, pilot training and proposed improvements. "The passengers and crews killed in the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents were from many nations and included personnel on international humanitarian missions," said Shahidi.  "Global aviation safety is not confined to national boundaries and therefore requires coordinated actions. We call on authorities to adopt an organized approach and outcome to restore the traveling public's confidence in the aircraft certification process, and to demonstrate the value of international cooperation to ensure passenger safety." About Flight Safety Foundation Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and communications to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to be the leading voice of safety for the global aerospace community.