Lion Air Flight 610

The Investigation and Aftermath

Preliminary investigations revealed flight control problems and signs that the Angle of Attack sensors were tied the MCAS system. Boeing released an update and finally told pilots about the MCAS system as well as procedures to deal with sensor failure. The FAA released an emergency Airworthiness Directive amending operating limitations and procedures but deemed the plane still airworthy.

The final report by Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Board has been released. It placed primary blame on Boeing and the FAA, pinpointing the design and certification of the 737 Max 8 as the primary root of the problems. Investigators listed the design of the MCAS system itself as a contributing factor, because it relied on information from a single external sensor, "making it vulnerable to erroneous input from that sensor." Boeing assumed pilots would immediately recognize the problem and override the system with manual flight controls, and that doing so would "not require exceptional piloting skill or strength," the report stated. Near the end of the Lion Air flight, the first officer pulled back on the control column with 103 pounds of force, but he was unable to keep the plane from diving into the ground.