We have an experienced aviator, Byron Bailey - ex military fighter & 777 & current biz jet, who writes a regular column in our local national paper (The Australian), and had this to say,
Indeed there have been several incidences of MCAS activation on US B737 MAX aircraft but experienced American pilots recognised the problem, which just required treating it as a pitch trim runaway, and turned the switches off.
Question, is what he's saying re MCAS activation cases in the US for real?