Pilots of fatal Lion Air flight may have been befuddled by safety system designed to prevent fatal errors
Moments after taking off from Jakarta, the pilots flying Lion Air 610 realized they were losing control of their 737 Max jetliner, the newest, most fuel-efficient and most automated model of Boeing's mainstay aircraft.
The jetliner's nose unexpectedly pointed down, sending it into a series of 26 dives at less than 5,000 feet. Toward the end, the pilot pulled back on the control yoke with all his might to bring the nose up, but the plane entered a death into the Java Sea.
The crash, 11 minutes after takeoff, killed 181 passengers and eight crew members.
The causes of the Oct. 29 crash are still being investigated by teams from Indonesia, Boeing and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. The investigation is examining the role of software intended to protect against pilot errors that have caused several deadly crashes around the world and whether the
