Boeing 737 Max

4/8/2019 Seattle, WA, USA Rows of Boeing 737 Max’s parked in Seattle, Washington, USA at King County International Airport-Boeing Field. Boeing uses the airport for delivery of aircraft and also storage of planes waiting to be delivered to clients. In March 2019, airlines and governments around the world grounded the Boeing 737 MAX passenger airliner after two crashes of the aircraft within five months killed all 346 people onboard both flights. On October 29, 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea twelve minutes after takeoff with 189 passengers and crew. On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed six minutes after takeoff with 157 passengers and crew. In each accident, the aircraft was less than four months old. Satellite tracking data showed similar flight profiles, which indicated that soon after takeoff both airplanes pitched down multiple times and experienced extreme fluctuations in upward and downward speed, as the pilots evidently struggled for control. Both pilots radioed their intention to return to the airport.Attention quickly focused on an automated anti-stall flight control system, «MCAS», newly introduced on the 737 MAX. On March 11, Ethiopian Airlines announced it grounded its 737 MAX 8 fleet «effective yesterday March 10». On March 11, the China Civil Aviation Administration, citing its zero-tolerance policy for any safety hazards, became the first government authority to ground its 737 MAX 8 aircraft. In the next two days, countries and airlines around the world either grounded or prohibited the aircraft from flying in their airspace. In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration initially stated it had not received any evidence to justify taking action against the 737 MAX. On March 13 President Trump announced a policy reversal and said the U.S. would ground the aircraft. (Stuart Isett/Polaris)