Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg has said “it’s apparent” that the 737 MAX 8’s MCAS maneuvering system contributed to two fatal air accidents. Investigators had long suspected the system’s role in the disasters, after the preliminary findings on ET 302 crash was released by the Ministry of Transport.
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 plunged into a field shortly after takeoff in March, killing all 157 people on board. Indonesian Lion Air Flight 610 nosedived into the sea last October, killing all 189 passengers and crew. Investigators noted “clear similarities” between both accidents.
“The full details of what happened in the two accidents will be issued by the government authorities in the final reports,” Muilenburg said in a video posted Thursday. “It’s apparent that in both flights the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, known as MCAS, activated in response to the erroneous angle of attack information,” he added.
Dagmawit Moges Minister of Transport said “on the basis of initial information gathered during the course of investigation the facts have been determined”. The Flight 302’s crew “had performed all the procedures, repeatedly, provided by Boeing, but was not able to control the aircraft” she said.
She further added that first the aircraft possessed a valid certificate of air worthiness, the crew obtained the license and qualification to conduct the flight and the takeoff rule appeared normal including normal, values of left and right angle-of-attack (AOA) Safety Recommendation
“After takeoff repetitive un-commanded aircraft nose down conditions are noticed in this preliminary investigation, it is recommended that aircraft flight control system related to flight controllability shall be reviewed by the manufacturer” she added.
The MCAS system reads the 737 MAX’s angle of attack (the angle of the plane’s nose) through a nose-mounted sensor. If the nose drifts too far upward, it manipulates the tail to keep the plane level and avoid a stall. However, investigators and Boeing whistleblowers claim that the sensors can deliver false readings, and the system can overcompensate, throwing the aircraft into a dive.
The 737 MAX 8 is grounded worldwide following the Ethiopian Airlines disaster, and Boeing is currently previewing a software update that Muilenberg said will “eliminate the possibility” of a similar accident happening again. The update will need to be approved by air regulators worldwide before the 737 MAX will take to the sky again.
A group of Boeing engineers told the Seattle Times last month that pilots were unaware of how to override the MCAS system, and Boeing has promised to rectify this too by providing “additional educational materials.” In addition, two critical safety features that could have warned pilots of an impending dive were sold as optional extras by the manufacturer. One of these – a warning light – will now be fitted as standard.
With the troubled jet grounded worldwide, attention has since focused on the Federal Aviation Administration’s certification of the jet. A US Senate investigation is now focusing on examining whether the FAA’s inspectors were properly trained, and the Department of Transport is also forming a commission to review the FAA’s certification process.
In the aftermath of the most recent crash, a group of FAA and Boeing engineers claimed that the FAA delegated much of its safety review of the 737 MAX 8 to Boeing itself, and trusted the company’s conclusions. They also claimed that Boeing downplayed safety concerns involving the MCAS system to bring the jetliner to market faster.
There are also reports that US and European regulators knew at least two years before a Lion Air crash that the usual method for controlling the Boeing 737 MAX’s nose angle might not work in conditions similar to those in two recent disasters.
The European Aviation and Space Agency (EASA) certified the plane as safe in part because it said additional procedures and training would “clearly explain” to pilots the “unusual” situations in which they would need to manipulate a rarely-used manual wheel to control, or “trim”, the plane’s angle.
Those situations, however, were not listed in the flight manual, according to a copy from American Airlines.
The undated EASA certification document, available online, was issued in February 2016.
EASA and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ultimately determined that set-up was safe enough for the plane to be certified, with the European agency citing training plans and the relative rarity of conditions requiring the trim wheel.
Boeing admits faulty system part of ‘chain of events’ in 737 MAX crashes
Novartis brings affordable NCD treatment
Ethiopia has expanded the possibilities of cures for non communicable dieses (NCD) via a partnership with Novartis Social Business.
Novartis, the Basel, Switzerland medical giant agreed with the government of Ethiopia to supply NCD medicine affordably as part of being a socially responsible business.
Since last year the company has commenced a one USD program in Ethiopia. They also have similar programs in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon and other African countries.
During the annual event held with the motto: ‘Sustaining the Momentum toward Universal Health Coverage in Africa’ in Kampala, Uganda they discussed their plans for Ethiopia.
Dr Kunuz Abdella, an advisor at the Ministry of Health, told Capital that the company is one medicine supplier that the Ministry of Health is working together to provide affordable access to treatment.
“They are supplying the product and being corporately responsible. The capacity building program is one of the areas we are working together on,” Kunuz said.
The prevalence of NCDs like cancer and hypertension have increased, but treatment is very expensive. Novartis is working on access to medicine as part of a component on universal access on health.
The collaboration between the government and the company shows that the Public Private Partnership needs strengthening. During the meeting we saw that we could improve healthcare by working together,” he added.
Guesh Haile, Novartis Social Business Country Representative, said that under Novartis Medicine Access Program the company agreed with the government of Ethiopia to supply medicine for breast cancer, hypertension /blood pressure, asthma and diabetes for USD one per month.
It is a business model with fewer profit margins to improve health access in the country. In addition to supplying meds they will work on capacity building. “Currently through the partnership with the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) we are working to decentralize the treatment to lower medical centers in addition to hospitals,” he said.
The company has also agreed to expand its operation via the Ethiopian Red Cross Society pharmacies located throughout the country.
Mihret Tamir, representative of the Ethiopian Red Cross who attended the event, told Capital that the Danish Red Cross Society and Novartis have agreed to start supplying NCD treatment via its drug stores to places like Jinka, Harar and Assosa.
Guesh said “since the Red Cross does similar work to us we have signed an agreement to supply the medicine and training.”
He said that in the coming few months Novartis Social Business is expected to launch teaching programs about healthy communities and families.
He said that through this partnership 300,000 patients will be diagnosed this year.
Dr Nathan Mulure, Cluster Head, Novartis Social Business, East and Southern Africa, said that the company has expanded its operation in Ethiopia and other African countries.
His company is working with the government of Ethiopian and THET, which is a UK based NGO, to rollout its corporate social responsibility. Despite the agreements signed in 2015 to commence the one USD program, it is only gaining traction now.
Dr Nathan said that last year 300,000 packs of treatments were supplied in Ethiopia but this year that will grow to over a million.
Africa needs double-digit growth to achieve SDGs, says Economic Report on Africa
African countries need to grow their economies faster if they are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by the target date of 2030, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) says in its annual report.
The SDGs can be achieved by carrying out comprehensive macroeconomic reforms to build resilience, raise potential growth and improve inclusiveness, says the Economic Report on Africa (ERA), released in Marrakesh, Morocco.
To accelerate growth to double digits by 2030, Africa needs to boost investment from its current 25 per cent of GDP – much lower than the 32 per cent in East Asia and the Pacific – to 30–35 per cent, and substantially improve productivity,” according to the Report. “The domestic drivers include sustained investment in infrastructure and strong private consumption, along with higher oil production (from new fields) and favourable weather.”
The continent’s gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to rise to 3.4 per cent this year from 3.2 per cent in 2018 and to 3.7 per cent in 2020 on the back of rising private consumption, rising and sustained public investment, higher commodity prices, current oil exploration and production and favourable weather, it says.
“However, most African economies face downside risks to growth from the tightening of monetary policy and new protectionist policies in advanced economies; weather-related shocks, especially in agriculture-dependent economies; threats of terrorism and conflict; political instability and high chance of debt distress in some countries,” says the ERA.
The Report, in a section on recent economic and social developments, says Africa’s progress in poverty reduction remains steady, albeit slow, because poverty reduction has not kept up with population growth.
“So even as the poverty rate falls, the number of people in absolute poverty has remained around 390 million,” adding that women represent a proportionately higher percentage of the working poor as the gender gap in Africa is still tilted in favour of men.
On the proposed African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), the Report says the reforms it will create can help to reduce the negative effects of external shocks on African countries and also enhance trade performance as well as assist their integration into global value chains.
TOTAL start uppers
With the objective of encouraging young innovative entrepreneurs, Total Ethiopia sc. awards nearly 25 thousand Euros for top three winners of start uppers of the year 2018/19 Total challenge in an official ceremony held at Hyatt Regency Hotel last Thursday.
Shumete Gizaw, State minister of innovation, Haile G/selassie, the all-time best athlete of the world and members of international community attended the celebration event.
“Total believes in young entrepreneurs and continues to encourage start uppers to contribute for the economic and social development of the country” said Thibault Lesueur, Managing Director of Total Ethiopia during the event.
