Originally Posted by
SLFinAZ
Amazing reading.
Basically what it confirms is that for competent well rested crews the potential MCAS issues are a minor speed bump. Doesn't mean that it isn't a very real issue but the bottom line specific to Lion Air is simple and compelling....crew error. As for the current tragedy we really don't know enough but it doesn't have any of the trim related oscillation seen in Flight 610...
At some point the various regulatory agencies will need to figure it out.
Since risk assessment for safety purposes in any environment needs to allow for circumstances and variables - ie there is no such thing as 'safe or 'unsafe' - it's not an absolute - if you are saying that flight crew can only deal with the MCAS system if a certain (highest) level of competence, alertness, awareness and training, then that is very worrying. It's akin to saying that Top Gun fighter pilots are capable of handling the MCAS scenario we've been discussing, so only Top Gun fighter pilots should be allowed to fly the Max 8. I know I'm stretching the point, but surely flight crew within the bell curve must be able to respond effectively on a model of aircraft with thousands of orders? If not, I have to ask whether the MCAS system itself and the circumstances in which it is deployed has been correctly risk assessed.