Investigators: Boeing 737 MAX Anti-Stall System Involved in Ethiopian Crash
Investigators probing the deadly crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet have said that preliminary finding show a controversial anti-stall system was activated on the aircraft before it plummeted to the ground.
According to a new report in The Wall Street Journal, this preliminary consensus among investigators is based on information from the plane's so-called "black boxes" and was presented to high-ranking Federal Aviation Administration officials on Thursday. The preliminary conclusion is the most solid hint to date that the anti-stall system, called Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), was a cause in both the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 on March 10 and Lion Air flight 610 in October 2018.
Both crashes had striking similarities, including a rollercoaster of sudden altitude changes, thought to be caused by MCAS. This anti-stall system automatically pushes down the aircraft nose when sensors indicate the nose might be pointed too high, which could cause the plane to stall. In the Lion Air crash, the black boxes revealed that the system pushed the nose down more than 24 times as pilots battled to keep the plane in the air.
The crashes had a combined death toll of 346 people. All 737 MAX planes have been grounded around the world until investigations can be completed.
Boeing is preparing a software upgrade for all of its Boeing 737 MAX jets that will purportedly fix any issues with MCAS and will roll out in the coming days. The first official crash report on Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 is also expected to be released by Ethiopian officials within days.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month

