New York: US regulators considered grounding some Boeing 737 Max planes last year after learning of a problem with a system that is now the main suspect in two deadly crashes, a source close to the matter said.
Investigators in the Lion Air crash in October off the coast of Indonesia and the Ethiopia Airlines disaster in March have zeroed in on the planes’ anti-stall system, called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
Last year, inspectors with the Federal Aviation Administration discovered Boeing de-activated a signal designed to advise the cockpit crew of a malfunctioning of the MCAS system, the source said.
