You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Science & Technology
A closer look at what happened to the Boeing jet in the Ethiopian crash (opens to video)
2019-03-20
[ABC News]
Very informative flight simulator video.
Posted by:Besoeker

#13  Well, these engineering "teams" are committees. The purpose of a committee is to diffuse accountability. We probably will not ever hear if some of the "questionable choices" were made by affirmative action or H1B hires and quietly agreed to by people who said "that's fucking nuts, but I retire in 18 months..."
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-03-20 20:58  

#12  Sounds like they missed a lot.

What happens when they don't write sanity checks and the sensor changes far faster than it should be.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2019-03-20 18:50  

#11  Sounds like Boeing skipped out on failure mode tests and analysis. "What happens if the autopilot is engaged and we lose these inputs?"
Posted by: Vespasian Unairt7733   2019-03-20 18:30  

#10  Nowhere in here is there a software problem. The computers & software performed their jobs according to spec without error. The specification was just shitty.
Now that's some serious blame dodging... Not sure smash into the ground at high speed was in the spec.

I'm a software guy too and if you were my employee and tried that bullshit you'd be getting a walk home or a serious one-on-one "chat" about attitude to quality.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2019-03-20 18:14  

#9  the developer never thought

Or, an 'easter egg' for the pilots.
Posted by: Skidmark   2019-03-20 14:39  

#8  The Best Analysis Of What Really Happened To The Boeing 737 Max From A Pilot & Software Engineer (Scroll to the bottom for the take without twitter)
Posted by: newc   2019-03-20 14:11  

#7  It seems the developer never thought the sensor might be in error!?!?

If something goes wrong, you just turn off the autopilot. It's super easy, barely an inconvenience. Just flip thru the flight manual to the appropriate page and run through the checklist. You turn off this switch here, flip those two switches over there, adjust the trim and the throttles and BLAM!, you're back in control of the plane.

... all while fighting with the autopilot that wants to kill you, with loud annoying warning sirens going off in your ear. Hey, maybe they need a Big Red Button - Give me control of the plane now now now.
Posted by: SteveS   2019-03-20 13:48  

#6  Need to be really clear about modes...
Fly by pilot OR fly by autopilot.

It seems the developer never thought the sensor might be in error!?!?
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2019-03-20 11:57  

#5  I'm sorry, jpal, I do not understand the question.
Posted by: HAL 9000   2019-03-20 11:16  

#4  What kind of autonomous safety system puts the plane in crash mode? I don't get it.
Posted by: jpal   2019-03-20 10:52  

#3  Pretty much across the board. Have you ever used every feature of your phone? Every feature of MS Word? Quickbooks? Of course none of them can kill ya...
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-03-20 10:38  

#2  More 737 MAX-8 info surfacing:

[Reuters] Exclusive: Cockpit voice recorder of doomed Lion Air jet depicts pilots' frantic search for fix - sources
Posted by: Besoeker   2019-03-20 08:41  

#1  Bloomberg - Pilot Who Hitched a Ride Saved Lion Air 737 Day Before Deadly Crash

As the Lion Air crew fought to control their diving Boeing Co. 737 Max 8, they got help from an unexpected source: an off-duty pilot who happened to be riding in the cockpit.

That extra pilot, who was seated in the cockpit jumpseat, correctly diagnosed the problem and told the crew how to disable a malfunctioning flight-control system and save the plane, according to two people familiar with Indonesia’s investigation.

The next day, under command of a different crew facing what investigators said was an identical malfunction, the jetliner crashed into the Java Sea killing all 189 aboard.
Posted by: Besoeker   2019-03-20 07:14  

00:00