(CNN) Flight simulations recreating the problems suspected to be responsible for the crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8 plane last year gave pilots under 40 seconds to override a malfunctioning system, according to a report in the New York Times.

Lion Air Flight 610 crashed off the coast of Indonesia last October, killing 189 people. Indonesian officials believe the failure of a sensor may have triggered an automated software system designed to prevent the plane from stalling. However, the system may have brought the plane down as pilots struggled to override it.

During the recent tests, the simulator pilots found they had mere seconds to shut down the system and prevent the plane going into a nosedive, the Times said, citing two unnamed people involved in the tests.

The system, known as MCAS, "as originally designed and explained, left little room for error," according to the report. "Those involved in the testing hadn't fully understood just how powerful the system was until they flew the plane on a 737 Max simulator," the Times reported.

At least some of the tests described by the Times took place over the weekend, the paper reported.

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