Thursday, April 4, 2019

The MCAS system in Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft is not simply an anti-stall or stall prevention system - Boeing is not going beyond the call of duty for passenger safety

Most media outlets these days are referring to MCAS as an anti-stall or stall-protection system. Even Wikipedia. This is not a completely correct description of this "feature". Boeing was forced to add this system because of an inherent aerodynamic issue with the 737 MAX aircraft. As such, it's more of a "fix" or a "patch" to counteract what is fundamentally a design problem with the plane. Repeatedly describing it to the public as an "anti-stall" "feature" makes the public feel like maybe this system is an extra safety system that has been thankfully/thoughtfully added by the very safety-minded Boeing to prevent stalls [thus increasing the safety of an already-safe airliner], and that the system has some temporary software glitches currently, and that by correcting those glitches the system will be free of flaws and the airplane will become very safe. The crucial point that this sort of story omits, perhaps deliberately, is that this feature/system is not intended to add to the basic safety of a safe aircraft design. Rather, it tries to make an unsafe aircraft design safe.

Boeing is in no way going beyond the call of duty to ensure the safety of flying public. On the contrary, this only-profit-minded company sold a warning indicator [the "AOA Disagree" light] as an optional extra to be purchased by airlines, rather than installing it as standard equipment in the interest of safety. Much like leather seats or tinted glasses are sold by car manufacturers as an extra.

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