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The accident of the Boeing 737 MAX of Lion Air in October 2018 was caused by a
combination of a technical defect and design errors. This is apparent from a
briefing given by Indonesian investigators to the families of the victims, in
anticipation of the presentation of the final report.
 
As previously reported, unreliable data from an angle-of-attack sensor
triggered the new and unknown Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System
(MCAS).
 
The sensor that was linked to the MCAS was recently repaired but not properly
calibrated. The fact that the MCAS was linked to only one angle-of-attack
sensor made the system vulnerable in the event of technical failure, as was
the case uring the ill-fated Lion Air flight.
 
The researchers also found that the design and certification of the 737 MAX
did not properly assume how the MCAS functions and how pilots would react when
the system was activated. A lack of training for 737 MAX pilots made it extra
difficult to solve the problems.
 
Due to the malfunctioning angle-of-attack sensor, the MCAS mistakenly thought
that the aircraft ascended too steeply and ended up in a stall. This was
"corrected" by pushing down the nose of the aircraft. Repeated attempts by the
pilots to push the nose up again ultimately yielded nothing, causing the
aircraft to crash into the Java Sea. All 189 passengers were killed.
 
According to Reuters, slides that researchers showed to relatives also showed
that there was not enough documentation available about how systems would
behave in a scenario such as occurred on flight JT610. The pilots were also
distracted by "shortcomings" in manual operation of the aircraft and
communication.
 
In March this year, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 from Ethiopian Airlines crashed under
similar circumstances as flight JT610. Shortly thereafter, a worldwide flight
ban was introduced for the 737 MAX. Boeing has developed a series of design
adjustments that are still awaiting certification. It is not yet known when
the 737 MAX fleet will be able to fly again.
 
Due to the problems with the 737 MAX, aircraft manufacturer Boeing is under a
magnifying glass. The company has set aside billions of dollars for damages to
relatives and customers. It has also been found that the American aviation
authority FAA mismanaged the certification of the 737 MAX.

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