Aircraft Accident Investigation Report: Boeing 737-8 MAX, ET-AVJ
TL;DR
Pilots did everything right—disabled MCAS, called correct procedure. Still died. Single-sensor design made correct action insufficient.
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The definitive investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash—the second 737 MAX disaster in five months. Documents how single-sensor reliance in MCAS led to 157 deaths despite correct pilot response. Essential reading for understanding why redundancy isn't optional in critical systems.
Key Findings from (EAIB) (2022)
- MCAS activated based on single faulty angle-of-attack sensor—no redundancy in critical safety system
- Aircraft descended at -33,000 ft/min when MCAS pushed nose down repeatedly
- Pilots correctly identified MCAS failure and disabled electric trim, but manual override was aerodynamically impossible at speed
- Boeing made 'engineering design error' in initial hazard analysis but didn't inform Ethiopian authorities post-crash
- Second 737 MAX crash in 5 months after Lion Air 610 (same failure mode, 189 deaths)
- Led to worldwide grounding: 387 aircraft, 8,600 weekly flights, 59 airlines affected