> The pilots utterly knew the aircraft wasn't stalling just by feel. While the MCAS 'knew' it was based on a messed up sensor.
...except when the pilots get it wrong like they did on AF447 which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean when 'the crew failed to recognize the aircraft had stalled and consequently did not make inputs that would have made it possible to recover from the stall.' [1]. That accident was caused by a combination of equipment failure - iced up Pitot tubes - in combination with an erroneous reaction by the pilots.
AF447 crashed because the auto pilot handed control of the airplane over to the pilots when it was in the coffin corner with iced over pitot tubes[1]. And then stall warning system gave them very confusing information.
It's not really the same situation. In one the aircraft was absolutely flyable without instruments. The other it was not flyable without instruments.
[1] Absolutely last thing you want in that situation.
...except when the pilots get it wrong like they did on AF447 which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean when 'the crew failed to recognize the aircraft had stalled and consequently did not make inputs that would have made it possible to recover from the stall.' [1]. That accident was caused by a combination of equipment failure - iced up Pitot tubes - in combination with an erroneous reaction by the pilots.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_447