Originally Posted by
dr dre
Given the airframe has been around for 24 years it would be very rare if an endemic problem that causes catastrophic uncontrollable states has been lying dormant and undiscovered that whole time.
The difference with the MAX is the MCAS problems were detected at the start of the aircraft’s operational service life.
"Dormant" may be the key word. Certainly some ex-Boeing people blew the whistle some years ago on manufacturing shortcuts that could enhance fatigue & erosion. Which would take time. Meanwhile, landing mishaps have caused the NG fuselage to break lethally into sections that some experts say represents excessive damage for the forces involved.
How "endemic" it was would depend on whether Boeing cleaned up its act when people started blowing whistles.
If so, it would still be worth following the fate of that batch of aircraft.