Do you think that had these accidents happened in the US, that they may have been covered up to an extent ? Given that the FAA approved the certification of the aircraft built by Boeing. Maybe its a positive that they didn't, but your account from a user point of view is very worrying.
Tbh, I think almost any “third world” crash in well known, well-liked aircraft model is often assumed to be pilot error. Sad (or arrogant) as that sounds, I think people believe that “first world” aviation is better from a pilot training and maintenance perspective.
The first crash would, of course, been massive news and would have had a similar response, due to the aircraft being new...”What’s wrong with this new aircraft?”
The second crash, in almost identical circumstances may have set off even louder alarm bells!
However, I understand your point about the investigation, and that should concern everyone!
Thankfully, in the US, the regulator (FAA) DOES NOT investigate accidents. That is the NTSB. BUT, the pressure brought to bear on them by Boeing and the FAA is something we should all understand and should also be of concern.
I like that the Ethiopian black boxes have gone to France. That will help maintain the integrity of the investigation. Typing that gives me no pleasure, but with the level of corporate money, and the reputation of the FAA, at stake, I am honestly not sure there would not have been at least an attempt to cover up some of the institutional errors...at the very least!
On a more personal note, I am not afraid to fly the MAX, as I believe the STAB TRIM CUTOFF switches fix this problem. However, strapping on a jet that you know had a design flaw that might try to kill you should NEVER be the starting point of a flight.
My airline has scoured the 300,000 hours of MAX flight data they have and has not seen a single activation of the system. While past performance is not a predictor of future success, it appears clear to me that had we had an aircraft with a faulty AOA vane, that single channel failure would have activated MCAS. Where that would have led????
Before Lion Air, I honestly don’t know if it would have been survivable because I don’t know (still to this day!) how the system presents itself to you. I don’t know what happens to the displays, I don’t know what visual and aural warnings are present, and I don’t know what the effects of continuous 2.5 degree nose down trim has on the glyability of the aircraft because I don’t know how much nose down trim we can overcome with the yoke.
What I DO KNOW NOW is that any “automatic, opposite trim” that a MAX would have tried to deploy AGAINST PILOT INPUTS would have IMMEDIATELY led to using the cutoff switches. No ifs, ands or buts. We are trained to use them in a “runaway trim” situation, and MCAS is much more insidious than that, because it isn’t a trim FAULT, it is acting as programmed...2.5, then another 2.5, then another 2.5...but especially TODAY, post-Lion Air, they’re front and center in every 737 pilots mind!
