Student Name: AKHIL RATHEESHAN

Deliverable: Boeing 737 MAX, Exercise # 2B

Course Name: Qual8002

Date Assigned:

Date Due: 22-10-2023

Rules:
OVERVIEW

Boeing company, or simply Boeing, is one of the world's largest aerospace

manufacturers, with a history from the early 20th century and a significant

stakeholder in the economic influence in the US. Boeing has been a reputable

company for its production in aerospace, being the safest flight for traveling until

the two incidents suddenly impacted its credibility in the market. It was in late 2018

and early 2019 when two of the flights of Boeing, namely Boeing 737 Max, crashed,

taking the lives of more than 350 people.

In 1964, Boeing developed a new design, the Boeing 737, to make a smaller variant

for the jet aisle Family for shorter to midrange routes with a minimum capacity of

passengers. Even though the sale was at a slow rate during the initial stage, later,

the 737 became very popular, gaining the favor of the market, and Boeing became

the world’s most airline producer.

In 1996, Boeing came with an upgraded version of the 737 known as the 737 Next

Generation (737NG), with enlarged wings and fuel tanks, a new version of cockpits,

and an upgraded engine.

The Boeing company introduced the 737 MAX in the market to prevent their sales

loss for their next-generation single-aisle jetliners to Airbus when Airbus

which has a comparable ultra-fuel engine and additional features, was

introduced.

But when the two 737 MAX flights of Boeing crashed in 5 months, it

pointed to questions about Boeing's safety and quality of the flights that

occurred in 2018 and 2019.

CASE ANALYSIS

Many investigations were conducted to find the incident's root cause until the

flight's Black box was found.

PROCESS
ENVIORNMENT

Sensor not
working
properly.

Malfunction
in MCAS
Wiring
damages

FLIGHT CRASH

Unaware of
new
MATERIAL mechanisms
Un Trained Pilots
MANPOWER
The data retrieved from the black box showed that the flight crashed as the nose

of the flight showed a tendency to move downwards. It occurred due to the

improper data transformation from the control module to a specific MCAS

mechanism (Maneuver Characteristics Augmentation System).

During flying, the flight's nose tends to move upwards when the speed increases

due to air turbulence; the MCAS system was introduced to overcome this. It

activates under the following conditions.

1. when the angle of attack sensed by the system exceeds a predefined

threshold.

2. When the autopilot is not engaged.

3. When the flaps are in the retracted position. This is particularly relevant

at lower altitudes and slower airspeeds, where MCAS can activate even

with extended flaps.

Not only that, but the pilots of the flights were also uneducated about the MCAS

and had no information about what to do if a malfunction occurred in the MCAS.

Boeing deliberately concealed the presence of the MCAS flight control system

as a strategic response to address the aircraft's flight characteristics issues.

Throughout the 737 MAX certification process, Boeing opted not to submit the
plan for FAA review, intentionally kept airline customer technical

representatives in the dark about its existence, omitted it from the pilots' flight

manuals, excluded it from training materials, and did not integrate it into any

737 simulators used for pilot training. Knowledge of the MCAS and the data

systems that supplied it remained undisclosed to those outside of Boeing until

the first 737 MAX crash in late 2018.

The working of MCAS solely depended on the data it gets from the Control

module. The data is collected from the sensor on the nose of the flight. There is

a high chance that the sensor may not work correctly or get damaged, leading

to the MCAS's malfunction.

It is evident that Boeing has compromised their quality to maximize their

production. After the two incidents, the market value of Boeing has decreased

drastically. Most of Boeing’s flights were canceled concerning safety. The products

that were already produced were not taken by the customers, making storing the

new Flights a crisis. But Boeing continuously moved forward, saying that these two

incidents did not occur because of the malfunctions of their flight; instead, the

pilots could have overcome this situation even if they were unaware of the MCAS

system. Amid the 737 MAX crisis, reports revealed significant manufacturing

defects in other Boeing jetliners in various production stages. These issues included
instances where tools and, quite unexpectedly, ladders were unintentionally left

inside structural compartments after the assembly process. Furthermore, there

were concerns about damaged electrical power and signal cabling, which could lead

to short circuits and the compromised reliability of data systems. Damaged wiring

could likely have been the fundamental cause of the incorrect inputs to the

MCAS system. In one aircraft involved in a crash, the angle of attack sensor had

previously generated inaccurate readings during flights conducted the day

before the tragic incident. Replacing this sensor with a new unit strongly

suggests that the sensor itself was an improbable primary source of the issues.

Importantly, Boeing's proposed solution does not tackle the potential problem

of damaged wiring resulting from manufacturing quality control deficiencies.

While the investigation into the causes of the crashes is ongoing, Boeing is

determined to expedite the return of the 737 MAX to operational status. Boeing's

engineers are focused on modifying the MCAS software, with no changes planned

for the physical systems like sensors, signals, and power buses. It's essential to

emphasize that altering the MCAS algorithms alone may not guarantee the aircraft's

safety. Boeing's proposed remedy for the 737 MAX involves a software adjustment

to the MCAS system. This adjustment is intended to restrict the system to a single

push-down action rather than repeated actions. The primary goal of this alteration
is to enhance the safety and overall control of the aircraft. Even though Boeing

proposed all these updates, it is evident that the quality of the process in the plane's

production should have been addressed.

CONCLUSION

Boeing's emphasis on economic gains ultimately resulted in developing an

aircraft with significant deficiencies, seriously eroding its reputation as a

dependable producer of safe airplanes. By selling the Boeing 737 Max without

proper quality control and without giving substantial training to the pilots,

Boeing has failed to uphold the trust they promised their passengers.

REFERENCE

• The Boeing 737 MAX: A Case Study of Systems Decisions and Their
Consequences by Dennis Holeman

[Link]
systems-decisions-and-their-consequences/