Boeing unveils fixes to 737 Max flight system
The firm gathered hundreds of pilots including reporters for an event to unveil the changes to a software which has been blamed by aviation authorities for the crash of the planes of Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air.
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing on Wednesday unveiled a fix to the flight software system and the pilot training of its signature 737 Max plane, as it pledges to do all it can to prevent further accidents following two plane crashes that killed nearly 350 people.
The firm gathered hundreds of pilots including reporters for an event to unveil the changes to the stall prevention system or Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a software which has been blamed by aviation authorities for the crash of the planes of Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air.
‘We're working with customers and regulators around the world to restore faith in our industry and also to reaffirm our commitment to safety and to earning the trust of the flying public,’ said Mike Sinnett, Boeing's vice-president of product strategy.
‘The rigor and thoroughness in the design and testing that went into the Max gives us complete confidence that the changes we're making will address any of these accidents.’
‘We are going to do everything to make sure that accidents like this don't happen again,’ Mr Sinnett said.
Boeing is currently under scrutiny from the United States Justice Department for the certification and marketing of its 737 Maxes.
Investigators have drawn similarities in the flight data from both crashes, while aviation authorities are pinpointing the MCAS as the reason for the crashes.
Read more on China grounds use of Boeing 737 Max planes after Ethiopian Airlines crash
What will the new software update reflect?
The software update will make changes on the MCAS, which originally was designed to automatically command a plane to go down if it senses an imminent stall.
A change to the software will include data from another angle of attack (AOA) sensor, a sensor which measures the horizontal tilt of the plane. The earlier software only included data from one of such sensor.
The use of one AOA sensor follows industry practises, said a Boeing official in a CNN article.
Faulty data from the sensor had caused the MCAS to push Lion Air down towards the ocean, investigators in Indonesia have revealed.
With the updated software, it will not create a downward pushing cycle when an abnormal reading is reflected on the AOA sensor, nor will it tilt in an angle that disallows a pilot to counteract it manually.
Boeing is expected to hand in its final compliance documents for the update to regulators by this week.
With the update, pilots will need to complete a new, intensive computer-based training before they are allowed to fly the plane, said Mr Sinnett. The new software updates to the planes will take around an hour.
Read more on Boeing's shares plunge 9% after Ethiopian Airlines' plane crash
This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.
Act on share opportunities today
Go long or short on thousands of international stocks with spread bets and CFDs.
- Get full exposure for a comparatively small deposit
- Trade on spreads from just 0.1%
- Get greater order book visibility with direct market access
See opportunity on a stock?
Try a risk-free trade in your demo account, and see whether you’re on to something.
- Log in to your demo
- Take your position
- See whether your hunch pays off
See opportunity on a stock?
Don’t miss your chance – upgrade to a live account to take advantage.
- Trade a huge range of popular stocks
- Analyse and deal seamlessly on fast, intuitive charts
- See and react to breaking news in-platform
See opportunity on a stock?
Don’t miss your chance. Log in to take advantage while conditions prevail.
Live prices on most popular markets
- Equities
- Indices
- Forex
- Commodities
Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All share prices are delayed by at least 15 minutes.
Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
