Boeing finishes software update for grounded airliner
Posted May 16, 2019 5:54 pm.
Boeing says it has finished with its updates to the flight-control software implicated in two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max, moving a step closer to getting the plane back in the sky.
The aviation company said Thursday it has flown the 737 Max with updated MCAS software for more than 360 hours on 207 flights to date.
Aviation regulators still have more questions about how pilots interact with the plane’s controls under different circumstances, and Boeing says it is providing that information.
The next major step is a certification flight with Federal Aviation Administration representatives on board. Boeing said that flight has not yet been scheduled.
“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,” said Boeing Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg. He added that the company is making steady progress and is confident the 737 Max with the updated software will be “one of the safest airplanes ever to fly.”
In crashes in Indonesia in October and Ethiopia in March, the automated MCAS system mistakenly turned the noses of the planes down in response to faulty readings from a single sensor. Pilots were unable to recover and 346 people died.
