Do not buy a DLC: a function that would save the fallen 737, "Boeing" sold as an option

While pilots of doomed Boeing airplanes in Ethiopia and Indonesia tried to regain control , they didn’t have two important security features that Boeing sold for an extra fee, reports the NY Times .

Like other aircraft manufacturers, Boeing makes a profit by upgrading the aircraft to the individual needs of the customer. Sometimes these optional features include advanced styling and comfort: premium seats, fancy lighting or extra toilets. But for an additional fee, communication, navigation and security systems are also being sold.

Many airlines, especially low-cost carriers, such as Indonesian Lion Air, do not buy these functions, and regulators do not require their presence. Now, after two catastrophes, Boeing will make one of these security features standard as part of the aircraft software update.
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It is still unknown what caused the crashes of Flight 302 of Ethiopian Airlines on March 10 and Flight 610 of Lion Air five months ago. Experts suggest that a partial fault lies with the new software that was added to the Boeing 737 Max. Incorrect sensor data may have caused the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) to malfunction.

In October 2018, the Lion Air airliner crashed off the west coast of the island of Java, killing 189 people. After analyzing the black box data, the experts were very surprised by the strange behavior of the MCAS system. Apparently, the wrong angle of attack data came from the sensors - and the plane automatically lowered its nose and headed straight for the water. The pilots tried to raise the nose more than ten times, but the system still lowered it down. As a result, the liner hit the water and crashed. On March 10, another aircraft crashed in Ethiopia, with 149 passengers and eight crew members falling victim.

On March 13, 2019, after consulting with the United States Federal Aviation Administration and its clients, Boeing issued an official recommendation to all airlines to temporarily suspend flights of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft. In the next few weeks, the company promises to update its flight management software.

Boeing lists a number of changes in the new system. It is said that the update includes:

• mode of operation of the automatic control system Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS);
• pilot displays;
• improved processing in the flight control system of incoming information about the angle of attack;
• restriction of the stabilizer adjustment command in response to an incorrect angle of attack;
• stabilizer command limitation to maintain the effectiveness of the elevator.

Now the design of the Boeing 737 Max and the software development process is studying the prosecutor's office. The federal investigation leads the FBI with the participation of the US Department of Transportation.

The aircraft’s software system reads readings from one of two blade-like devices, called angle of attack sensors. They determine how the nose of the aircraft is directed up or down relative to the incoming flow. When the MCAS detects that the aircraft is pointing up at a dangerous angle, it can automatically lower its nose to prevent stalling.

For extra money, Boeing sold security features that could help pilots detect erroneous readings from sensors. One of the paid features is the angle of attack indicator, which displays data from two sensors. The other function “disagreement indicator” (disagree light) is activated if the sensor readings contradict each other.

Soon, Boeing will update the MCAS software, and will also make the disagreement indicator a standard feature for all new 737 Max aircraft (not officially announced yet). The angle of attack indicator will remain a paid option.

“These are critical functions, and they are inexpensive for airlines,” says Bjorn Ferm, an analyst at aviation consulting company Leeham. - Boeing takes money from them, because it can. But they are vital to safety. ”

In addition, Boeing charges an additional fee, for example, for a spare fire extinguisher in the cargo hold. Past incidents have shown that a single fire extinguishing system may not be enough to extinguish a flame that is rapidly spreading around the aircraft. Regulators in Japan require airlines to install back-up fire extinguishing systems there, but the American FAA or other regulators do not necessarily require it, which allows the aircraft manufacturer to make the safety feature a paid option, and airlines save a little.

According to the documentation of Boeing, the company expects to earn paid options from $ 800 thousand to $ 2 million on each aircraft. For example, the Brazilian airline Gol Airlines paid an additional $ 6,700 for the oxygen masks for the crew and $ 11,900 for the control panel of the advanced meteorological radar system. American Airlines bought both the angle of attack indicator and the disagreement indicator. Southwest Airlines also acquired indicators of disagreement, and also set the angle of attack indicator on the display above the pilots' heads. After the crash, Lion Southwest announced that it would change the 737 Max cockpit to place the angle of attack indicator on the main screens of the pilots' computers.