Boeing 737 Max will be one the 'safest planes ever' with software update and pilot training, says CEO
‘We deeply regret what happened with these accidents’ said the Boeing CEO
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Your support makes all the difference.Exactly six months after the first fatal Boeing 737 Max crash in Indonesia, the planemaker has said new software updates and pilot training will make the jet one of "the safest planes ever to fly”.
In the annual general meeting for shareholders in Chicago, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenberg denied reports that the aircraft, involved in two deadly crashes over the past six months, was rushed to market.
The global fleet of 737 Max jets is currently grounded worldwide while Boeing makes critical software updates to an anti-stall system.
The technology, known as the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), has been implicated in both the Lion Air crash on 29 October 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines accident on 10 March 2019. A total of 346 people died.
The preliminary report into the Ethiopian Airlines crash revealed a struggle between the pilots and the anti-stall system installed in the 737 Max.
“Safety is our top priority and there is no question about our commitment to safety and how it’s implemented in our processes,” Mr Muilenberg said.
The MCAS software was just “one link” in a “longer chain of events”.
The software monitors the “angle of attack” between the airflow and the wing. If it becomes too steep, an elevator in the tail automatically lifts to nudge the nose of the plane down, restoring the aircraft to an appropriate trim.
The Boeing CEO defended the development and certification process for the 737 Max, saying it was “thorough” and “disciplined”. He added that the plane’s anti-stall software did meet safety standards.
Boeing is currently making key software updates to the MCAS system, and is doing simulator demonstrations with its customers.
Test pilots have undertaken 146 flights in 737 Max aircraft with the new software, equivalent to 246 hours of flying time, Mr Muilenberg said. Ninety per cent of 737 Max customers have done simulations with the new software, he added.
The software update will prevent “erroneous angle of attack sensor readings from triggering the MCAS system,” said Mr Muilenberg. The updates include using data from two sensors rather than just one. With these updates and further pilot training, the aircraft will become “one of the safest planes ever to fly”.
The CEO also led a minute’s silence for the victims of the 737 Max crashes.
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