A malfunctioning software program aboard the Max 8 planes is a central focus of investigators. The software program, called M.C.A.S., was installed in the new Max 8 planes as a way of preventing stalls and worked by forcing the nose of the plane down.
In the Indonesian flight, there are indications that the system acted in error and that the pilots had trouble overriding the software’s actions. They ultimately lost their battle before the plane plunged into the sea.
The data from the Ethiopian Airlines flight recorders, or black boxes, has not been publicly released. Experts generally caution that conclusions at this stage of an investigation are far from certain and note that there are many possible causes for crashes.
Source : Nytimes
