What is 1917
MCAS stands for this
What is the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System
These two flights crashed due to the MCAS activating at the wrong moment, killing all 346 passengers on board
What are Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302
This was the charge that the United States Government thrust upon Boeing following the two crashes
What is conspiracy to defraud the United states
This term usually refers to aircrafts like the 737 or the a320 families, and mentions the size of the aircraft, as well as its range and historical significance
What is a Single Aisled aircraft (Narrow body)
Known as a "workhorse," it spans four generations—Original, Classic, Next Generation (NG), and MAX—serving short-to-medium routes. It is also the most produced commercial aircraft of all time
What is the 737 family
The MCAS was added last minute because of two main shifts between the older versions of the 737 and the new 737 MAX. One was a new engine, what were the others
What is the new engine being placed higher on the wing, shifting the center of mass of the aircraft
As information came out on the crashes, and the MCAS was put into question, pilots claimed that they had never been trained on how to disable the system. This general outrage, as well as the fear from the two crashes, led to this significant event
What is the 737 MAX groundings
In the charges, the United States of America says that Boeing had been attmepting to defraud the governemtn from this date to this date
What is November 2016 through December 2018
This day, which occurred very recently, marks the newest update in the saga of the lawsuits against Boeing.
What is April 20, 2026
A European aircraft manufacturer that started competing with Boeing in the 70's. The rivalry grew more intense in the 2010's, as an emphasis was brought on fuel efficency and composite materials
What is Airbus
The MCAS system relied on only one of these, a flaw that would become a center point of the investigation. (Traditionally, a system like this would require at least 2 sensors, in order to avoid issues if one disagrees)
What is an Angle of Attack sensor

This image shows data that served as a cornerstone for investigators
What is the Black Box Vertical Speeed Data
This act, passed in 2004, guarantees specific, enforceable rights to victims of federal crimes, including the right to fairness, respect, dignity, privacy, protection from the accused, and timely notice of public proceedings. It ensures victims can be heard and present at court proceedings
What is the Crime Victims' Rights Act
Following the crash of Lion air flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, all 737 MAXes were grounded for this duration, leading to airlines selling some in order to keep up with demand. It also led some aircfats into a singifcantly more difficult period during covid.
What is 20 Months
Boeing was, for decades, known as a pillar of safety, with one of the best safety records of any aircraft manufacturer. However, some have pointed at this event as a turning point for Boeing's philosophy on safety first
What is the Boeing and McDonnell Douglas Merger
The MCAS system acted in this way, shifting the plane down and pitching the nose downwards
What is changing the angle of attack by automatically adjusting the horizontal stabilizers
The release of these two airliners forced Boeing to rush the production and certification of the 737 MAX, which in turn led to the MCAS not being properly demonstrated, and pilots not getting appropriate training on this new equipment
What are the A320 Neo and A330 Neo
a voluntary, pre-trial contract between a prosecutor and an organization (or individual) where criminal charges are filed but held in abeyance (suspended). If the defendant complies with conditions—such as paying fines, admitting wrongdoing, and implementing compliance reforms—the charges are dismissed.
What is a Deferred Prosecution Agreement
The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) flight control law was designed and certified for the 737 MAX to enhance the pitch stability of the airplane in a very specific set of unusual flight conditions – so that it feels and flies like other 737s.
MCAS was designed to activate in manual flight, with the airplane's flaps up, at an elevated Angle of Attack (AOA).
Boeing developed an MCAS software update to provide additional layers of protection if the AOA sensors provide erroneous data. Prior to certification, the software was put through hundreds of hours of analysis, laboratory testing, verification in a simulator and numerous test flights, as well as validation during in-flight certification tests with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) representatives.
What is the Boeing Press Release following the crashes of the 737 MAX
The civil and criminal lawsuits that occurred as a result of the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 exposed Boeing to huge financial liability,but also highlighted a shift that had happened within the company, with the safety first motto being thrown out in favor of a profit first mentality
What is a thesis statement
It has been said by many that the pressure at all levels of Boeing's corporate food chain led to the implementation of the MCAS system. However, this pressure also led to this event
What is Boeing not informing the FAA of the implications of the MCAS system
On Ethiopian 302, the pilots had this many seconds between the activation of the MCAS system and the crash of the plane, and this many seconds between the change in the trim activator and the crash
(the trim activator is credited as pone of the pivotal moments of the crashes)
What is 25 and 35 seconds
The settlement, amounting to 2.5 billion dollars, was spread out across these three main categories, amounting to 1.77 billion, 500 million, and 250 million dollars respectively
What is airlines, Crash victims families, and U.S. government criminal fine
SO WHAT (Not a question per say)
The lessons to take from the crashes of the 737 MAX is that we must put aside good capitalism and ensure the safety of all. In an era where products are getting created at an ever increasing speed, slowing production down in order to ensure proper safety standards are met is vital. We all play a part in this, and in the general slowing down of the world around us to ensure safety for everyone.