I don't think anyone else has mentioned it, but for some reason this accident and the Lion Air accident both sound (to a total industry outsider that has no knowledge of aircraft systems) very similar to QF72. An aircraft that decided to pitch down suddenly on its own a couple of times without manual inputs due to a faulty sensor and/or software.
QF72 could look similar with a quick glance. The two pitch downs were basically spikes, that the aircraft recognised by itself, and which caused a flight law reversion. It was a software issue, which was both readily patched, but more importantly bypassed by the aircraft at the time. It should never have pitched down in the first place, but it did not, and could not, have continued to do so.
Lots of comment on this board throwing bile at Boeing a couple intimating the B737Max is a total lemon.
The Max per se, is probably a nice update of the 737. The issue is that the 737 itself is well into its pensionable years. The only reason Boeing keeps limiting the updates is to ensure it keeps ‘grandfathered’ passes from the FAA, that it would be unable to get now. It is not a modern aircraft by any means.
A330's aren't from Boeing and I didn't see A330's being grounded all over the world.
The subsystem that caused the A330 pitch down comes from Honeywell, and is actually installed in plenty of Boeings too. In that instance there was both an alternative source, and most importantly (and also in the B777 that similar happened to), the system was part of a triplicated system. So, whilst it might go wrong for a moment, it had its own system of checks and balances.
Perhaps because nobody died - but 315 certainly could have if it wasn't for QF pilot intervention.
Actually that is not the case, though Sully did an excellent job of tidying up the messy hand he was dealt.
Boeing 737-MAX operations temporarily suspended by CASA in Australian Airspace
India’s version of CASA imposed stricter pilot experience when operating 737M8 minimum 1000hrs for PIC and 500hr for FO on the 737NG type and also stricter minimum equipment list.
Given that India has trouble ensuring that its pilots are licensed at all, I’ll take anything they do with a grain of salt. And 1,000 or 500 hours are both trivia, and do not qualify as ‘experienced’ in any way.
US politicians calling on FAA to act immediately and follow AU, EU et al and ground the MAX. Interesting to see how long they can hold out.
Oh, I expect that one of them will see it as a trade issue, and slap an embargo on them. To be honest, I don’t see the US doing anything until it happens to one of theirs.