Boeing employees exchanged texts over 737 Max safety issues in 2016
Employees of Boeing exchanged messages about the issues with the 737 Max’s automated safety system as it was being certified in 2016, new information has revealed.
A pilot said he had run into unexpected trouble during the tests, it was revealed in documents provided to lawmakers.
He said that unknowingly he had “basically lied to the regulators.”
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Issues with the safety system have been tied to two crashes killing all 346 people on board.
The first incident came a year ago in October 2018 when a Lion Air 737 Max aircraft crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta, killing 189 people.
Five months later in March of this year, an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crashed minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa killing 157.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the document was “concerning” and asked for an “immediate” explanation for the delay in turning over the documents, which were handed to lawmakers ahead of hearings later this month.
Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg is due to testify at the hearing, but has since stepped down as chairman.
The 737 Max has been grounded globally since March in the wake of the crashes.
Boeing has said it’s co-operating with the investigation and recently announced a permanent safety to committee to oversee the development and production of its aircraft and services.
“We will continue to follow the direction of the FAA and other global regulators, as we work to safely return the 737 MAX to service,” Boeing said.
The automated safety system called MCAS (Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System), designed to make the aircraft easier to fly, has been at the centre of the investigation.
The software and its sensors contributed to pilots inability to control the aircraft.
Boeing has been revising the plane’s software to improve safeguards but the 737 Max is yet to meet requirements to allow it return to flight.
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Boeing reportedly uncovered the messages between employees “some months ago”.
Another employee responded to the pilot – who no longer works for Boeing – by saying: “It wasn’t (sic) a lie, no one told us that was the case”.
Boeing’s share price fell by 5.4 per cent during Friday trading in the wake of the news.