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737 MAX’s flight control Part A: General observations

Francisco Villarreal-Valderrama
3 min readNov 3, 2021

This study provides a detailed technical account of the background on the two fatal accidents involving the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. It includes a brief analysis of the airplane’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), system parts, software and mechanical characteristics, safety assumptions, and systems assessments.

737 MAX

Two accidents happened regarding this aircraft. The first accident happened just six minutes after takeoff, ETH302 dove at full speed into a field 30 miles away from Bole International, near the town of Bishoftu, leaving no survivors behind. The second aircraft nosedived four times as the pilots struggled to regain control, according to Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC). A third pilot who just happened to be in the cockpit was able to help the two pilots resolve the situation and the plane landed safely in Jakarta. However, early the next morning, the same plane departed from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia. Just 13 minutes after takeoff, Lion Air Flight 610 plummeted into the Java Sea.

737 MAX crash

Boeing touted the MAX as being so similar to the previous model of the 737 that it said pilots wouldn’t be required…

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Francisco Villarreal-Valderrama
Francisco Villarreal-Valderrama

Written by Francisco Villarreal-Valderrama

Towards reliable and efficient aircraft propulsion and power generation

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