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Smead Aerospace / CU AIAA Chapter Present:

Lakshmi Kantha, Professor Smead Aerospace
Grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX:
Monday, April 8, 2019 | 4:00 PM | DLC
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Abstract: On October 28th last year, a brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft crashed into the Java Sea, minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 people on board. The Flight Data Recorder recovered from the Sea revealed that the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System implemented on the 737 MAX series of aircraft may have been responsible. Just a few months later, another B737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by the Ethiopian Airlines dove into the ground at high speed on March 10 this year, again minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board.

The apparent similarities between the Lion Air JT610 and Ethiopian Airlines ET302 crashes prompted worldwide grounding of all B737 MAX 8 aircraft in operation. Lingering questions about the FAA certification process has led to congressional hearings and investigations by the DOT and even the DoJ. In this talk, the speaker will discuss the two crashes, and outline the fascinating story of the intense rivalry between Airbus and Boeing behind the sequence of events that ultimately led to this situation.

Bio: Dr. L. Kantha is a professor in the Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department of the CU College of Engineering. He teaches Rocket and Aircraft Propulsion, and is the author of the book "Airbus vs. Boeing, Clash of the Titans of Aviation," to be published by Springer.