What caused two devastating crashes of the 737 MAX airplane?
Boeing believed an upgraded 737 jet, the favorite child in its aircraft family, would help it retain market share in the fiercely competitive aviation industry. In 2017, the 737 MAX entered service.
Since then, 346 people died in two 737 MAX crashes: a Lion Air plane crashed on October 29, 2018 after taking off in Indonesia (189 died) and an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed after taking off in Ethiopia on March 10, 2019 (157 died).
On March 13, 2019, the FAA temporarily grounded all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft. More than 10 months later, nearly 500 MAX jets remain grounded, and orders for thousands more are in limbo. Boeing faces fines, lawsuits, and accusations of rushing the aircraft into production.
A new system added to the upgraded 737 MAX , the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), has been linked to both crashes.
The full interactive story explaining the MACS can be found within the Augmented Reality section of the Paste BN app. To access "737: What went wrong":
- Download the latest version of the Paste BN app on your Android or iOS AR-capable device.
- Open the app, and look for Augmented Reality in Sections at the bottom of your screen.