![]() ![]() But following President Trump's decision to ground the Max that day, the agency cited new evidence it had collected and analyzed. Up until March 13, 2019, the FAA also declined to issue a grounding order, saying in a statement tweeted the previous day that there was "no basis to order grounding the aircraft." That was despite a public outcry from a group of senators and two flight attendant unions. Canada initially hesitated, but soon reversed course. ![]() China (a huge Boeing customer and a fast-growing commercial aviation market) led the way and was joined by Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, India, Oman, the European Union and Singapore. More than 40 countries also banned the 737 Max from flying in their airspace. Besides the airlines already mentioned that list includes United Airlines, WestJet, Aeromexico, Aerolíneas Argentinas, GOL Linhas Aéreas, Turkish Airlines, FlyDubai, Air China, Copa Airlines, Norwegian, Hainan Airlines, Fiji Airways and Royal Air Maroc. Most of them quickly grounded their planes a few days later. Andrew Hoyle/CNET When was the Max grounded?Ībout 30 airlines operated the Max by the time of the second crash (the three largest customers being Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and Air Canada). (For background on MCAS, read these excellent in-depth stories from The Air Current and The Seattle Times.)Ĭompared with previous versions of the 737, the Max's engines sit farther forward and higher up on the underwing pylons. When a sensor on the fuselage detects that the nose is too high, MCAS automatically pushes the nose down. To keep the nose in trim, Boeing designed software called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS. A pitched nose is a problem in flight - raise it too high and an aircraft can stall. (If you place an engine too close to the ground, it can suck in debris while the plane is taxiing.) That change allowed Boeing to accommodate the engines without completely redesigning the 737 fuselage - a fuselage that hasn't changed much in 50 years.īut the new position of the engines changed how the aircraft handled in the air, creating the potential for the nose to pitch up during flight. Because they're bigger, and because the 737 sits so low to the ground (a deliberate design choice to let it serve small airports with limited ground equipment), Boeing moved the engines slightly forward and raised them higher under the wing. Those engines, though, required Boeing to make critical design changes.
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