Handling emergencies and unusual situations is a significant part of learning to fly and remaining current to fly any airplane. Flight training can’t possibly teach pilots how to handle every single event they could encounter, however. With that concept in mind, pilots are often taught to look for the similarities between one event and another to help them more quickly find a solution to the situation at hand. That kind of training demands making certain assumptions about the pilots who will occupy the flight deck.
NTSB Questions Both FAA and Boeing Assumptions on 737 Max
Key Takeaways:
- Boeing designed the 737 Max's MCAS system based on flawed assumptions that pilots would easily recognize and counteract an MCAS failure, similar to a runaway trim, without needing specific knowledge of the system.
- The NTSB concluded that these assumptions overlooked critical human factors; multiple simultaneous warnings in the cockpit during the accidents overwhelmed pilots, preventing them from quickly identifying the MCAS issue.
- The NTSB expressed concern that current aircraft certification processes fail to adequately evaluate pilot recognition and response to complex failure conditions, especially with multiple alerts, and recommended the FAA revise these assessments.
- The NTSB also urged the FAA to develop better tools for pilots to prioritize failure indications and re-examine other aircraft certifications for similar flawed assumptions.
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