Boeing has a strong reputation for innovation and creativity. It has a solid base in the Asian commercial air transport market and a robust record of production and delivery.
by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne
Writing from Montreal
Like the Phoenix rising from its ashes, no matter how often you hit bottom, stand up, dust yourself off, and march forward. ~ Anon
Air transport in the digital age is showing portentous signs of warning. Boeing has faced multiple liabilities as a result of two air crashes of its 737 MAX 8 aircraft – an upgrade of its standard 737 aircraft – within a span of 5 months. On 29 October 2018, the Indonesian carrier Lion Air operated Flight 610 - a scheduled domestic flight operated from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta to Depati Amir Airport in Pangkal Pinang, which crashed into the Java Sea 12 minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 passengers and crew. On 10 March 2019 a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft of Ethiopian Airlines operating an international flight bearing number ET 302 crashed six minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people aboard. This article is written with deep sympathy and condolences conveyed to those who lost their loved ones in the two accidents.
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At the heart of the defect in the aircraft was a piece of computer application called MCAS, (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) which the pilots were unable to override. MCAS – a seemingly sophisticated piece of digital application - is meant to act as an automated safety feature on the 737 MAX 8 that is calculated to prevent the plane from entering into a stall or losing lift. In both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights the angle of attack sensor - a small blade sticking out of the cockpit which records the angle of the aircraft in flight - had erroneously told the MAX 8’s flight computers that the aircraft was climbing much more sharply than it was, pushing the aircraft into a nosedive. As a result, pilots were left wrestling with an aircraft that was repeatedly plunging itself towards the ground for no reason.
In addition to the defect in MCAS, Boeing detected, in June 2019, a computer chip issue in both 737 MAX and NG FCC aircraft which was thought to had been fixable through pilot intervention. For its part, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has requested Boeing to show what would happen if the computer chip issue occurred and how the pilots would handle it.
After the second crash it took considerable time for the authorities concerned (FAA) to ground all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft – all 387 of them - from the skies, less than two years after the first aircraft took to the skies. However, On 12 March 2019 The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) took prompt action by publishing an Airworthiness Directive, effective as of 7 PM that day, suspending all flight operations of all Boeing Model 737-8 MAX and 737-9 MAX aircraft in Europe. Additionally, EASA published a Safety Directive, also contemporaneously effective with the Airworthiness Directive, suspending all commercial flights performed by third-country operators into, within or out of the EU of the above-mentioned models.
It must be noted that the grounding affects all Boeing MAX aircraft including the larger Max 9 which has been flying only for a few months. The MAX 737-10 is still in development and has yet to start commercial operations.
In its latest issue, Aviation Week and Space Technology (August 19-September 1) states: “The grounding has taken an estimated 41 million seats out of the industry through late October…that adds up to loss of revenue of more than $4 billion”. The same journal goes on to say that the brand of the MAX aircraft is now tainted, and it would take some time for it to regain its market potential and share. Additionally, the MAX order of 200 aircraft by Jet Airways has been wiped out owing to the bankruptcy of the carrier, while during the same time the MAXs competitor – Airbus 320 Neo – has gained 200 orders.
The aircraft remains grounded with an optimistic timeline of September 2019 envisioned by Boeing to hand over the changes to the MCAS software as well as other modifications to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with a view to getting the aircraft back into the air as quickly as possible. Other related changes involve training and flight control system methodology.
A mere certification and “OK” by the FAA may not automatically pave the way for the MAX aircraft to start flying the global skies again. The subject is covered in Article 33 of the Chicago Convention which provides that certificates of airworthiness and certificates of competency and licenses issued or rendered valid by the contracting State in which the aircraft is registered, would be recognized as valid by the other contracting States, provided that the requirements under which such certificates or licences were issued or rendered valid are equal to or above the minimum standards which may be established from time to time pursuant to the Convention.
EASA has emphatically stated that, as Europe’s safety agency it will approve, and mandate changes made to the MAX 8 aircraft and conduct its own design review. Other countries may follow EASAs approach. Despite Article 33 of the Chicago Convention which has been discussed above, each country retains its sovereign prerogative to decide when to allow the aircraft to operate over its skies. Boeing has much at stake in restoring its brand which may have suffered a set back and, more importantly, recouping losses already accrued and generating revenue that would come into its coffers when it resumes delivering orders received and generating new ones. Another condition of EASA is that pilots flying the aircraft receive adequate training according to European standards before the aircraft is permitted to fly European skies. One of the issues raised by EASA is that the autopilot of the aircraft does not disengage easily for pilots to take control. The list of EASA for Boeing that has requirements for fixing are the potential difficulty pilots have in turning the jet’s manual trim wheel; the unreliability of the Max’s angle of attack sensors, inadequate training procedures; and a software issue flagged by the FAA pertaining to a lagging microprocessor.
The halt in deliveries of the aircraft had caused Boeing a drop of 35 per cent, prompting the manufacturer to consider shutting down production of the MAX 8. It is hoped this will not come to pass. Boeing has a strong reputation for innovation and creativity. It has a solid base in the Asian commercial air transport market and a robust record of production and delivery. Boeing has capitalized on the economic shift from the West to the East and has only Airbus to compete with in the East. One of its major strengths is its single aisle aircraft which is an attraction to the low-cost carriers blooming in that region. With around 34,00 new aircraft needed by 2030 worth around US $ 4.5 trillion, it is hoped that one of the most prolific and efficient aircraft would take to the skies again sooner than later.
This having been said, an aircraft can be put back in the skies, but nothing can bring back those who lost their lives.
Dr. Abeyratne is the author of Aviation in the Digital Age, to be published shortly.
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