Regulators have ‘tentatively approved’ a software fix for Boeing’s 737 Max - Sensationalist Headlines

https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/24/18279554/boeing-737-max-plane-crash-faa-mcas-automated-system-tentative-approval-for-software-update The Wall Street Journal reports that the Federal Aviation Administration has “tentatively approved sweeping software and pilot-training changes” for Boeing’s 737 MAX jet, a fix that could allow pilots to exert more control over an automated system that is thought to have been the cause of a deadly crash in Ethiopia last week, and could allow carriers to being flying the grounded aircraft once again. The WSJ says that the software updates will scale back the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) redesigning it “so it won’t overpower other cockpit commands or misfire based on faulty readings from a single sensor,” and will only activate once, for a short duration in the event that there is an issue. The FAA has “tentatively approved,” the update, but it needs to go through simulations and flight testing. If it works and is formally approved, the update could be issued in “the next few weeks.” The agency didn’t comment to the WSJ about the specifics of the changes. Furthermore, Boeing has said that it will include a warning light designed to warn pilots that was previously part of an optional package that carriers could purchase. It’s thought that that system is what brought down the planes in Ethiopia and Indonesia, and has raised questions about how Boeing handled how it disclosed the system and trained pilots on its use. Previously, Boeing had touted the fact that the plane was similar enough to the existing 737 plane that pilots wouldn’t need to go through extensive retraining — those pilots trained on an iPad.

I still dont think people will want to fly it to be honest.

i remember when people didn't want to fly post-9/11, now imagine if the planes had flown into the towers themselves

Perhaps not, but I would argue that the pilot training changes are the most important aspect of this. If the pilots are all trained on how to override this system, I don't see this happening again. I don't know if Boeing totally understand the cause of this sporadic issue yet, but if it is also due to a faulty sensor, I think making some hardware changes to the planes so there are redundant sensors would be a good idea.

Imagine being the programmer responsible for a bug that caused a plane to crash. Must feel fucking awful and psyche-shattering.

I seriously doubt this "bug" is remotely simple enough to pin the blame on a single developer. Tons of people worked on this code, and tons of interconnected systems are at work.

It really comes down to Boeing not letting airlines (who in turn let pilots know) about this new feature, what it does, and what to do if things go wrong along with putting this information in the QRH. Boeing being dicks and holding back a warning light is going to bite the whole industry in the ass now.

As someone who works on giant codebases, sometimes it's like you say, and sometimes it can be traced to one change. I'm not trying to assert that it WAS caused by one programmer, I'm just saying that it'd feel awful if that were the case. (And even if it's caused by multiple systems interacting in a flawed way - the entire team probably feels awful)