Firstly, the 737 Max family’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) is not a “stall-prevention” or “safety” feature. It seems the crew realised the warning was false, but the noise and column vibration no doubt created a distraction. MCAS could not have trimmed the stabiliser if the trim cut-out switches were still in cut-out. Notably, the 737’s manual trim system is purely mechanical, and manual rotation of the stabiliser trim wheel at high speed would be very difficult with the elevator loaded up. The crew was trying to raise the nose, yet thrust remained at 94% N1.

Source: Ethiopian News April 12, 2019 13:18 UTC