Originally posted by Staga
So not only there was a fatal flaw in Boeings but the manufacturer also tried to hide it but got caught after crashes?
No. Try harder.
Boeing, the FAA and the Air Line Pilots Association Safety division all worked together on the crashes. In the beginning, none of these folks could figure out the problem. The pilots were the first to suspect it was the PCU and suggested that a change be made immediately. The other two agencies were not sure. You can't get a company or the FAA to make multi-million dollar changes on a suspicion. It took years and more crashes for enough clear evidence to accumulate that pointed to the PCU.
I think it should have been done when ALPA suggested it. Yeah, it cost money but it was still a relatively simple fix. As a side note, when ALPA first suggested it was the PCU, Delta agreed and decided to increase the freqency of inspection on the PCU and shorten the overhaul time. We never had a 737 hardover... go figure.
Boeing didn't try to hide it; they made a few changes to the PCU during the period of investigation. The FAA didn't try to hide it either. It just took them a while to gather conclusive proof.
Sorta like the Airbus incident where their chief pilot mowed down half a forest because the controls laws were krap. Took Airbus a while to realize how it happened and then another while to decide they needed to change the control laws.
There did you like that? It's in the same vein as your jihad.