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A comment on Boeing altered key switches in 737 MAX cockpit limiting ability to shut off MCAS. Parent comment

Re:Boeing altered key switches in 737 MAX cockpit limiting a... by smadurange on Sunday May 12, 2019 @01:54AM (#19890406)
Airbus uses software to enhance safety. MCAS is trying to fix a very specific and a potentially dangerous issue while keeping it from the pilots. So, I'm not sure if there's a good analogy there.
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Re:Boeing altered key switches in 737 MAX cockpit limiting a... by staunch on Sunday May 12, 2019 @12:17PM (#19892765)
In both cases the software was designed to prevent the pilot from stalling the aircraft i.e. to enhance safety.

And yet hundreds of people died in Air France 447 because the pilot stalled the aircraft when sensor failure disabled the Airbus software without the pilot realizing it.

In the case of MCAS, people died because the Boeing software didn't disable itself due to sensor failure.

Definitely not the same issue but both examples of software-sensor-related fatal crashes.

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Re:Boeing altered key switches in 737 MAX cockpit limiting a... by salawat on Sunday May 12, 2019 @06:14PM (#19894922)
Also note, Airbus has had issues where pilots are so used to the machine not letting them do something stupid, that direct law has caught them by surprise.

Automation creates complacency, which can be lethal when things go wrong.

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