Faulty MCAS System may be the Cause of Boeing 737 MAX Crash. It seems keen that the two recent crashes of a Boeing 737 MAX were both caused by the same software problem.
When an aircraft crashes, a first report on the circumstances must be made within thirty days. That has now happened for the aircraft of Ethiopian Airlines in which 157 passengers were killed on 10 March.
The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal learned from various sources that it mentions the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) that would have entered into force.
This is software that pushes the nose of the device down if it threatens to rise too quickly due to the engine weight. That software is new in the MAX because the engines weigh more than in the previous 737s.
In the crash with a 737 MAX from the Indonesian Lion Air on October 29 of last year – in which all 189 passengers died – the MCAS would also have entered into force from erroneous measurements of the slope of the aircraft.
It is indeed still too early to draw definitive conclusions, but everything indicates that both accidents have risen similarly.
The fact that the Boeing 737 MAX is now being grounded globally has only cost the German TUI, Europe’s largest tour operator, 200 million euros.
The TUI fleet consists of 10% aircraft of that type, and the inactivity must be absorbed by leasing other aircraft. Whether Boeing will pay for that damage is not yet certain. TUI warns that another 100 million will be added if there is still a lack of clarity.