Boeing and FAA Faulted In Damaging Report On 737 Max Certification (nytimes.com) 32
A new report from a task force convened by the FAA found that Boeing failed to adequately explain to regulators a new automated system that contributed to two crashes of the 737 Max, and that the FAA lacked the capability to effectively analyze much of what Boeing did share about the new plane. The New York Times reports: The review scrutinized the F.A.A.'s certification of the Max's flight control system, including the new automated system, MCAS, that played a role in both crashes, in Indonesia last October and in Ethiopia in March. The report found that while the F.A.A. had been made aware of MCAS, "the information and discussions about MCAS were so fragmented and were delivered to disconnected groups" that it "was difficult to recognize the impacts and implications of this system."
The task force said it believed that if F.A.A. technical staff had been fully aware of the details of MCAS, the agency would probably have required additional scrutiny of the system that might have identified its flaws. Boeing is now updating the system to make it less powerful, and it says it will install a modified version when the Max, which is still grounded, returns to service. A broad theme of the report is that the F.A.A. was too focused on the specifics of the new system and did not put sufficient effort into understanding its overall impact on the plane. In certification documents that Boeing submitted to the F.A.A., MCAS was not evaluated as "complete and integrated function" on the new plane. The report also said Boeing had failed to inform the F.A.A. as the design of MCAS changed during the plane's development.
Boeing also failed to thoroughly stress-test the design of MCAS, according to the report, which found that "the design assumptions were not adequately reviewed, updated or validated." In addition, the report criticized Boeing for not adequately assessing the extra effort pilots might have to make to deal with MCAS, and it noted that Boeing had removed mention of MCAS from a draft of the pilot's manual. As a result of that decision, some key F.A.A. officials were not fully aware of MCAS and were "not in a position to adequately assess training needs," the report found.
The task force said it believed that if F.A.A. technical staff had been fully aware of the details of MCAS, the agency would probably have required additional scrutiny of the system that might have identified its flaws. Boeing is now updating the system to make it less powerful, and it says it will install a modified version when the Max, which is still grounded, returns to service. A broad theme of the report is that the F.A.A. was too focused on the specifics of the new system and did not put sufficient effort into understanding its overall impact on the plane. In certification documents that Boeing submitted to the F.A.A., MCAS was not evaluated as "complete and integrated function" on the new plane. The report also said Boeing had failed to inform the F.A.A. as the design of MCAS changed during the plane's development.
Boeing also failed to thoroughly stress-test the design of MCAS, according to the report, which found that "the design assumptions were not adequately reviewed, updated or validated." In addition, the report criticized Boeing for not adequately assessing the extra effort pilots might have to make to deal with MCAS, and it noted that Boeing had removed mention of MCAS from a draft of the pilot's manual. As a result of that decision, some key F.A.A. officials were not fully aware of MCAS and were "not in a position to adequately assess training needs," the report found.
Consequences (Score:5, Insightful)
We have a ruling class. We don't like to acknowledge their existence is all. And you do not spill the blood of kings.
That's rich (Score:2, Insightful)
The solution, like so many things in the world, is counter-intuitive. You need more government, but government for/by the people. And you need to work hard to maintain your government.
One of the things people really hate, and where so much cons
Something I should ad (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
the ruling class does not hide
That is not true. They try to hide their evil deeds as much as possible: it is just impossible to hide all those corrupt actions for long. Then, contrary to the common belief of the rule of the best or brightest (that is, they are ruling class because they are smarter etc.), they are also pretty dumb. Take the latest example: Ukrainegate. They are accidentally giving the spotlight to the corruption of Joe Biden and John Kerry.
Joe Biden's been out in the open for ages (Score:2, Interesting)
The same goes for Trump. His son and daughter made over $80 million each last year when they'd been losing money hand over fist for decades. And good 'ole "Moscow" Mitch is up to his ears in Chinese Cash.
Incidentally, if you're wondering why it's always foreign governments it's because there are laws about family members taking money from US companies to inf
Re: (Score:2)
"Solution to minor problems of the current system is communism. Here are some communists and people who pay lip service to communism that you should look at."
You forgot to tell people to please ignore the problems that these people are already manifesting without being in state power structures, such as cancel culture, or as it was known in Soviet Union, "NKVD and its informants". In no way do these people are actually communists, nor are they already beginning to manifest the exact same problems that all o
I know you're just trolling (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
"Everyone before me did communism wrong, but if you let ME do it, I, in my infinite wisdom will do it right and bring about utopia".
The mindset of every major tyrant, including Hitler, Stalin and Mao. You're in good company.
Re: (Score:2)
you do not spill the blood of kings.
That's what the kings want you to believe. In reality, spilling the blood of kings is good sport for the peasants.
Re: (Score:2)
Sure, we won't spill their blood. Guess we'll resort to the method dictated by tradition where bloody spills have to be avoided: red-hot poker up the ass.
But ... but ... but ... (Score:1)
But ... but ... but ... Regulation is bad. Government is bad. Business should be given the freedom from regulation to compete ... mooo mooo baaa baaa ...
The situation libertarians cannot answer. (Score:5, Interesting)
Here you have it: the workings of unregulated free-market capitalism.
According to every libertarian I ever met this would never happen because the corporation and the individuals in it have their reputation to consider. And even if they didn't their corporation would die and be replaced by one that would by natural selection.
There is always someone in a position of power at whatever level that is willing to trade your long term interest for their short term interest. If they can do it they will do it.
It's more than that. (Score:2)
It seems like Libertarians suffer from some kind of psychosis. They have these mental blocks where they are unwilling to accept certain probabilistic outcomes as a reality. Meanwhile they also reject the notion of being held fiscally responsible for damage corporations do to the public and/or environment despite personal responsibility being a core principle of Libertarianism.
It seems what they really want is permission to act as recklessly as they want without having to pay for the consequences of their
Re: (Score:3)
Given the push on forums and in media to solely blame the “lower standard of training” in the airlines that suffered the crashes, there already seems to be a move by some parties to protect Boeings reputation and image - and I’m not even saying it’s a corporate conspiracy either...
Take some of the threads on Airliners.net for example, there are some people there who still maintain Boeing did nothing wrong and the problem was the substandard pilots... It’s pretty much the same p
Re: (Score:2)
I simply ask a simple question. If the pilots are incompetent why are older 737s not falling out of the sky when flown by the same incompetent pilots.
Most of the idiots on the forum dont have an answer to why its only the 737 Maxes that are falling out of the sky.
Re: The situation libertarians cannot answer. (Score:2)
According to every libertarian I ever met this would never happen because the corporation and the individuals in it have their reputation to consider.
You apparently don't know any libertarians, because that's absolutely idiotic. Mistakes can happen under any system. Government bureaucracy doesn't fix it; just look at the boneheaded decisions NASA made which led to the loss of two space shuttles.
Re: (Score:2)
just look at the boneheaded decisions NASA made which led to the loss of two space shuttles.
Where 14 people who volunteered for two high-risk missions
lost their lives v.s. 346 innocent men, women and children
who died because of libertarian morons like you.
Re: (Score:3)
I am a quasi almost-libertarian, but I am also a misanthrope, and I certainly do not believe any of that positive spin on human nature stuff, and I think corporations should be abolished as a clear force of evil in the world. There are a wide variety of beliefs within the libertarian category.
Sounds like you were talking to some overly optimistic teenagers. Humans are bad bad creatures and cannot be trusted to ever do the right thing. Not in corporations and not in governments either. Any time there is any
Re: (Score:2)
This is such a non-sequitur load of bullshit it's hard to understand how your IQ is high enough to even make a fucking post. I am not even a libertarian but you are moron.
"Here you have it: the workings of unregulated free-market capitalism."
#1. The hypocrisy you are showing by making a "regulatory failure" out to be a "failure of free-market capitalism", something which current does not exist in the aerospace sector, "which is HEAVILY REGULATED" is asinine. It's the same as saying a person was guilty of
Re: (Score:2)
Libertarians strike me the same as communists. Wishful thinkers who's ideal world is the world where humans are genuinely good actors. Philosophically, I would love for them to be right. Knowing history, I know that if they get to experiment with their utopia building, it results in outcomes that are nothing short of horrifying.
Because in real world, humans are often bad actors. And if your system doesn't have actual strong motivators and enforcement of good behaviour over bad, you're going to go into a spi
Libeertarians==Communists (Score:2)
There is no right to private property in Nature. Without Govt to enforce private ownership of property there is no private ownership.
As Libertarians dont want govt then by extension they dont want private property and everything is owned by the community ergo Communists.
Re: (Score:2)
Territorial animals recognise the concept of "territory", which is the base formulation from which formulation of "property" arose. And humans are most certainly one of the species that falls into the category of "territorial animals".
So you oversimplified the subject to the point of becoming wrong on merits. There is a concept of private property in "Nature", and it is recognised by many animals other than humans as well. Problem with libertarians is that they also fail to recognise that there are two ways
CYA BS. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
"white hats unite and protect our airline industry and aerospace industry now."
You first. I'm not getting in line to be labeled a terrorist. Our society is entirely too litigious for its own good, in that sort of scenario.
If you want to find flaws in an airliner, you'd better be prepared to buy your own to tinker with privately. I learned this lesson as a small child.
Way back in elementary school, we had these Macintosh computers in the library, and it was pretty awesome. You could play Oregon Trail, and th
Boeing isn't what it is cracked up to be... (Score:2)
5% of inspected jets have cracked engine mounts:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/boeing-cracks-found-on-737-jets-1.5316394
and every month there is another batch of 40, new 737 Maxes standing on the ground:
https://news.sky.com/story/us-regulator-criticised-for-failing-to-oversee-737-maxs-safety-system-11832701
The trouble is, that it is the older cracking ones that we are all now flying with, since the newer ones tend to fly themselves into the ground.
Re: (Score:2)
Small cracks in heavy lift structures such as wing mounts and engine mounts are normal. Structural materials have their tolerances and aircraft parts are built with a massive tolerance reserve. That is why components like wings are destructively tested before they are accepted.
When sufficient amount of cracks and other signs of stress occurs, which is an indicator of tolerance reserve going low enough, relevant parts are replaced.
How many flight before flying passengers? (Score:1)
FAA Technical Staff? (Score:2)
If the FAA Technical Staff was qualified, shouldn't they have known to ask questions and ask for details to become fully aware?
Let me guess, the FAA Technical Staff is composed of ... Top ... Men.