Faulty 737 Max Sensor in Fatal Lion Air Crash Linked to Florida Repair Shop

When a Lion Air flight went down off the coast of Indonesia last October, the damages were nothing short of harrowing. To be sure, the crash resulted in the death of all 189 people on board.

When a similar crash happened a few weeks ago in Ethiopia, the European Union and many countries decided to ground Boeing 737 Max flights. While at the time of both collisions, the causes of the crashes were unknown, experts have now concluded that faulty sensors may have been to blame. What’s more, a new report states that the defective sensor in the Lion Air crash is linked to a U.S. repairer.

Erroneous Signals Led to Crash 

According to multiple reports, the cause of the October Lion Air crash was a faulty sensor, specifically, the angle-of-attack sensor. As reported by The Washington Post, the angle-of-attack sensor is responsible for measuring if the plane is at risk of stalling, based on its nosing being too high for its wings to generate enough lift. If the sensor detects that such is the case, the sensor will push the nose of the plane downwards. The same article reports that event data recorder information shows that the plane pitched downward more than two dozen times prior to ultimately plunging to the earth.

Determining Liability and Analyzing the Link to a Florida Repair Shop 

When the angle-of-attack sensor was erroneously activated in the Lion Air plane, the defect resulted in the crash. Certainly, family members of those who were killed in the crash want justice for their loss, and will likely be seeking monetary damages as well. As such, questions about liability have been raised, and many families have already filed lawsuits against Boeing for its manufacturer of a defective sensor and failure to provide adequate safety warnings.

But new evidence shows that another party may be held partially liable for damages, too: XTRA Aerospace, located in Miramar, Florida. According to a briefing prepared for Indonesia’s parliament, the facility was tasked with working on–and repairing–the sensor in the Lion Air plane prior to the crash. While the details of that repair have not been released and it is still unclear why a defective sensor was installed in the jet in the first place, there’s no doubt that this new link will likely lead to the repair company coming under scrutiny. In addition to the manufacture of the sensors and repair work done, the actions of the pilots are also being reviewed.

Boeing Likely to Pay Up to $1 Billion 

As more information comes out about the faulty sensors involved in the two plane crashes, there is no doubt that Boeing will face more lawsuits, and may be forced to pay up to $1 billion in wrongful death damages, according to some estimates. The Florida repair company, as well as the sensor’s manufacturer–Rosemount Aerospace Inc.–will also likely face claims and potential litigation.

When defective products lead to serious harm and death, someone needs to be held liable. If you think that you have a defective product claim, don’t hesitate to reach out to our West Palm Beach aviation accident lawyers at the firm of Pike & Lustig, LLP directly.

Resources:

bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-02/faulty-737-sensor-from-lion-air-crash-linked-to-u-s-repair-shop

washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/more-families-sue-boeing-over-lion-air-crash-citing-defective-design-and-inadequate-safety-warnings/2019/03/21/ebd2c9f4-4bfb-11e9-9663-00ac73f49662_story.html?utm_term=.4bafa07f33da

businessinsider.com/boeing-investigation-sensor-in-737-max-crash-linked-to-florida-shop-2019-4

washingtonpost.com/world/2019/03/12/two-plane-crashes-five-months-what-lion-air-ethiopian-airlines-flights-have-common/?utm_term=.037bc6626cea