Lion Air deadly crash brings a whole lot of questions for Boeing

WASHINGTON: Questions swirled about how Boeing had failed to tell airlines and pilots about changes to an anti-stall system suspected in last month’s fatal crash in Indonesia.

Investigators are examining whether the system, which is meant to prevent aircraft from stalling, was tied to the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.

The Boeing 737-MAX plunged into the Java Sea on Oct 29, killing all 189 people aboard.

The mid-range jet’s engines are heavier than those installed on prior versions, meaning the plane can stall under different conditions.

Boeing made modifications to the anti-stall system without informing air carriers and their crews, accord- ing to the Allied Pilots Association.

“We should have been informed,” said APA spokesman Dennis Tajer on Wednesday. “It is just silly.”

“How this happened is definitely something which has to be resolved,” said Tajer, a pilot. “Boeing will have to answer to that.”

Failing to share all necessary information violates the aviation world’s “safety culture,” he said.

On Tuesday, Boeing said it was focusing on cooperating with investigators.

In a letter to pilots on Nov 10, the APA said Boeing’s recent “Emergency Airworthiness Directive” had not addressed the key question of incorrect readings from Angle of Attack sensors, which monitor the angle of an aircraft’s nose.

The AOA “may be the causal system in the Lion Air incident”, Mike Michaelis, chairman of an APA safety committee, said in the letter.

“Awareness is the key with all safety issues,” he said.

“You are aware this anomaly may occur and there is a mitigation procedure.”