Boeing Co said on Sunday that a Safety Review Board convened in late 2018 corroborated its prior conclusion that an angle-of-attack (AOA) sensor on the 737 MAX, which has suffered two fatal crashes, was not necessary for the safe operation of commercial aircraft.
In a statement following a series of negative news reports, Boeing provided greater detail on its recent decision to make the previously optional AOA Disagree alert a standard, standalone feature on the 737 MAX before the grounded jets return to service. The alert lights up when two sensors produce widely different readings.
The angle of attack measures the angle between the air flow and the wing and helps determine whether the plane is able to fly correctly. If the angle becomes too steep, the flow of air over the wing is disturbed, throwing the plane into an aerodynamic stall. That means it starts to fall instead of fly.
