Boeing says it has completed its updates to the flight-control software on the 737 MAX and tested it for more than 360 hours on 207 flights, after two deadly crashes resulted in the grounding of the aircraft globally, including in India. The 737 Max 8 and 9 models were grounded worldwide after an Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10 that investigators have described as appearing similar to a Lion Air crash on October 29 last year. A total of 346 people died in the two crashes.
In both accidents, the automated Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), pushed the planes’ noses down while the pilots struggled to regain control. “With safety as our clear priority, we have completed all of the engineering test flights for the software update and are preparing for the final certification flight,” Boeing Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg said on Thursday.
The update is expected to prevent erroneous angle of attack sensor readings from triggering the MCAS, something that initial investigation reports indicate occurred in both accidents involving Max aircraft.
