Deadly technical errors of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft
With the second fatal accident in just 6 months, many questions are being raised about the quality and technical safety of the Boeing 737 Max 8.
The Boeing 737 Max is the fourth generation of the Boeing 737 aircraft line. The biggest difference between the Boeing 737 Max and previous generations is that they use larger, more efficient CFM International LEAP-1B engines and have some adjustments to the fuselage.
The aircraft comes in four variants, with a total of 138 to 230 seats and a range of 5,954 to 7,084 km. The 737 Max 7, Max 8 and Max 9 variants of the aircraft replace the previous 737-700, 737-800 and 737-900, respectively. The 737 Max 10 is the variant with the longest fuselage.
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Drawing of a Boeing 737 Max 8. |
The Boeing 737 Max is the fastest-selling aircraft in Boeing's history, with more than 4,500 ordered by 100 operators worldwide. The Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft began flying commercially in 2017.
Notably, the Boeing 737 Max 8 currently accounts for two-thirds of Boeing's backlog and about 40% of its profits. As of January 2019, Boeing has delivered more than 350 737 Max 8s and has orders for more than 5,000 more.
However, this aircraft model is facing great criticism after a series of recent disasters. Most recently, on March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed just minutes after takeoff, killing 157 people.
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Map of the site of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crash. |
It is worth noting that this Boeing 737 Max 8 is part of a batch of 6 aircraft of the same type that Ethiopian Airlines has just ordered. This aircraft also underwent a "first rigorous maintenance check" on February 4, 2019.
Previously, in October 2018, an incident occurred with a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft with registration number JT-610 of Lion Air (Indonesia).
Lion Air's 737 MAX 8, flight 610, crashed into the Java Sea just 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board. Investigators said the MAX's computer may have misread data, causing the plane to suddenly lose altitude.
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A Boeing 737 Max 8 operated by Lion Air (Indonesia) crashed in October 2019, killing 189 people. |
The country's Ministry of Transport later inspected the safety of Lion Air's aircraft and discovered several errors in two Boeing 737 MAX 8s of the same type as the crashed plane.
Among the faults found was a problem with a Boeing 737 MAX 8 cockpit display related to a sensor system used to calculate the plane's airspeed and altitude. Indonesian authorities also discovered a technical fault in the flight stability system of another aircraft of the same type.
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Chart showing the altitude and rate of climb of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 that crashed. Source: FlightRadar24. |
In the case of the Ethiopian Airlines crash, multiple witnesses at the scene said the plane’s nose was down and its tail was up. It nosedived straight into the ground and then exploded. This is consistent with previous reports of sensor failures that caused Boeing 737 Max 8s to dive.
With the second fatal accident in just 6 months, many questions are being raised about the quality and technical safety of the Boeing 737 Max.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) of the European Union (EU) yesterday decided to suspend all flight operations of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft in EU airspace.
