The Federal Aviation Administration decided to ground the Boeing 787 Max 8 after preliminary investigations revealed similarities between the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes which took place merely five months apart. Both flights were operated on the same type of aircraft and were missing safety features that Boeing only sold as options. A software fix developed to address the issues has reportedly been “tentatively” approved by the FAA.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the software and training updates developed by Boeing to address the matter have been tentatively approved by the regulator. They will be rolled out after final simulation and real-world flight tests are conducted. Boeing had said that it would release a software fix for the planes at some point in April.
Insiders claim that the fix could make its way to airlines in just a few weeks but the timeline could change due to last-minute revisions. The update will pull back on the MCAS system’s aggressiveness so that it doesn’t overrule pilots’ input or engage based on faulty readings from one of the two sensors.
The training aspect of the fix reportedly includes self-guided tutorials which highlight when the MCAS anti-stall system engages and how pilots can disable it. That still won’t mean that the 737 Max 8 will be able to hit the skies immediately after the update is sent out. Other countries across the globe may want to run their own tests to ensure that there’s never a repeat of this ever again.
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