SmokeALib
Platinum Member
Boeing rushed this plane out the door to keep competitive with Airbus. But two crashes with over 300 deaths lead to investigations that showed neglect with both Boeing and the FAA.
The 737 (built and designed in the 70's) was built low to the ground to accommodate smaller airfields. So instead of designing a new airplane, Boeing decided to revamp the 737 with larger, more fuel efficient engines. These engines wouldn't fit, so they moved them forward and higher up on the wings. This changed the load and aerodynamics of the plane. The nose would tend to tip up, resulting in possible stalls.
So instead of a redesign, they just installed software to keep the nose down.
Using software to fix a fundamentally flawed design proved tragic.
It's a pretty interesting story if you choose to read the numerous articles on how and why this happened.
The 737 (built and designed in the 70's) was built low to the ground to accommodate smaller airfields. So instead of designing a new airplane, Boeing decided to revamp the 737 with larger, more fuel efficient engines. These engines wouldn't fit, so they moved them forward and higher up on the wings. This changed the load and aerodynamics of the plane. The nose would tend to tip up, resulting in possible stalls.
So instead of a redesign, they just installed software to keep the nose down.
Using software to fix a fundamentally flawed design proved tragic.
It's a pretty interesting story if you choose to read the numerous articles on how and why this happened.
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