Originally Posted by
Roj approved
So is it fair to say, if the MCAS activates on erroneous data, and you put flap out, it would stop the MCAS system activating?
If this is the case, this would have been a handy piece of information for the flight crew as they fought the system.
More to the point, NOT RETRACTING THE FLAPS would have avoided the subsequent series of events that led to the accident. An AD had been published describing the conditions under which MCAS was activated, and in theory the crew should have been aware. Prior to the second accident, there was a growing consensus at my airline that the best way to operate the MAX until a long-term fix was implemented was to keep the flaps extended until the A/P was engaged on all departures. If a potential AOA problem was detected before then, then don't retract the flaps at all. Why the Ethiopian Captain elected to clean up with a known stick shaker is one of the great mysteries of this accident.