Analysis of Recent Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft Accidents: A Report

This report provides an analysis of the recent Boeing 737 MAX aircraft accidents, focusing on the causes, safety considerations, and recommendations. It begins with an introduction to the incidents, highlighting the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610 crashes. The report delves into the causes of these accidents, including the malfunctioning of the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) and the lack of pilot familiarity with the system. Aerodynamic principles are discussed, emphasizing the role of faulty sensors in triggering erroneous signals. The safety analysis covers the implementation of safety measures by Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including software upgrades and pilot training. The report concludes with recommendations for improving aircraft design, including a new anti-stall system, enhanced pilot training, and improvements to the sensor technology of the MCAS. References to relevant sources are also provided.

Recent Boeing 737 MAX
Aircraft Accidents
Name of the Student
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Introduction to the Incident
 Recent Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft accidents have formed a
tremendous effect in the airlines industry
 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 had crashed almost a few minutes after
it had taken off from Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Crash Report Indicates
Pilots Followed Boeing’s Emergency Procedures, 2019)
 The previous accident was followed by the Lion Air Flight 610, which
had crashed in Indonesia
 Aerodynamic considerations and aviation principles would be
considered for analysing the accidents

Cause of the Aviation Accidents
 According to flight captured data, the flight was struggling to ascend
at a certain stable speed
 A new flight control system had been installed within the Max jet
series known as Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System
(MCAS)
 Some of the external sensors that was linked with the MCAS started
to malfunction
 The pilots were also not accustomed with the implementation of the
new MCAS systems

Aerodynamic Considerations or Principles involved
 Different preliminary reports gathered from Indonesian investigators had
indicated both the airline carriers had crashed due to a faulty sensor
 The new implemented sensors within the MCAS were triggering
erroneous signals causing a disturbance to the pilots
 The sensors were bringing down the nose of the airplane so that it would
be able to gain enough speed for flying safely (Schmidt, Nguyen &
Hornung, 2015)
 However, in the cases of accidents, these MCAS started malfunctioning

Safety Analysis and Findings
 After the immediate accidents, the airline carrier had made several
claims of implementing safety methods for the aircrafts
 Boeing had insisted on deactivating the MCAS by following a certain
number of standard steps
 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have also issued an
emergency directive that had followed the crash (Benedetto, D’Amico &
Tosti, 2014)
 The FAA is in the process of working in a diligent manner for working in
close cooperation for updating the software for the MCAS

Safety Analysis and Findings
 Boeing had expected to roll a certain software upgrade in the recent
weeks for the MCAS
 FAA has taken measures for working in a cooperative and careful manner
for designing, developing, testing and certifying the software
 Increased form of training for the pilots based on the 737 Max planes
would be implemented
 Boeing had confirmed that they were ensuring that the unintended form
of MCAS activation would prevent the scope of such accidents in the
future

Recommendations for the aircraft
 The design aspects of the aircraft would have to be improved
 Boeing should design a powerful and new anti-stall system within the
737 Max aircrafts
 The pilots should be properly trained with dealing with the new MCAS
devices
 The sensor technology based on MCAS would also need to be improved.

References
Benedetto, A., D’Amico, F., & Tosti, F. (2014). Improving safety of runway
overrun through the correct numerical evaluation of rutting in Cleared and
Graded Areas. Safety science, 62, 326-338.
Ethiopian Crash Report Indicates Pilots Followed Boeing’s Emergency
Procedures. (2019). Retrieved from https://
www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/business/boeing-737-ethiopian-airlines.html
Schmidt, M., Nguyen, P., & Hornung, M. (2015). Novel aircraft ground
operation concepts based on clustering of interfaces(No. 2015-01-2401).
SAE Technical Paper.