We've learned a lot in interface design since then and partially because of accidents like this. There's a couple reasons a situation like this is probably highly unlikely; on a 737-800 for example the fuel pump controls and panel are now part of the overhead controls [0] now, the feed controls aren't analogue so you can't accidentally have it partially open to the crossfeed position, and finally the fuel levels and operation are computer monitored now so if you were getting dangerously low on fuel you'd get warnings.
>We've learned a lot in interface design
since then and partially because of
accidents like this
But if you have any illusions that such a thing couldn't happen again look no further then the 737 MAX disasters. It shows how decades of stringent safety standards and lessons learned can be ignored in order for a company to earn a few dollars.
Sure issues can recur but this specific problem is highly unlikely to because the issues that lead to it don't exist. Valves aren't directly actuated any more so it's impossible to leave them in a cross-feed configuration without leaving the switch in that position. Also planes can fly with half their engines out now so even if you did lose an engine to accidentally starving it of fuel today the plane would still make it back to land. So much of the design and engineering that lead to this problem just don't exist in modern planes.
The MAX problem also wasn't a recurring problem it was a new one driven by money because of the huge incentive to maintain type compatibility so Boeing or it's customers wouldn't need to completely retrain all the pilots with 737-* type ratings. That combined with the flimsy regulation and oversight provided by the FAA let a safety critical system through with only one sensor driving it's function.
> Sure issues can recur but this specific problem is highly unlikely to because
These days the automated system to maintain fuel to the engines would fail when the sensor in the fuel tanks malfunctions. It would pump fuel overboard trying to pump fuel from an empty tank into a full one.
Obviously I made that up. The 737-max debacle shows us that we are past peak safety of aeroplanes. We rely too much, now, on automated computer systems which we (computer programmers) know are very expensive to get right. It is much cheaper to have them "almost perfect".
Might actually be getting better, since takeoff and landing are the most risky and with ETOPS we're doing a lot more point to point and a lot less hub and spoke.
