boeing The company announced last month that it had discovered a software flaw in some 737 Max aircraft that could affect certain landing procedures. The company is seeking federal approval for the fourth and final model in its best-selling family of aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday it was evaluating the issue and would “take immediate action if safety concerns are identified” and would consider Boeing’s proposed fix.
Boeing said the problem can occur after a pilot fails an approach while changing a preprogrammed flight path, and pilots must take additional steps to use automated tools on subsequent approaches.
“We have shared information with carriers that enhances existing pilot procedures to safely handle such cases. Our engineers are working on a software update to permanently address this issue,” Boeing said. The Wall Street Journal previously reported on this issue.
The company said its pilots are trained to land without automated systems. Boeing said it is “working directly with airlines to formalize procedures to enable pilots to re-enable automatic vertical navigation if this situation occurs.”
U.S. airlines told CNBC that they do not have Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft in their fleets with the latest software related to the defect in their fleets. Airlines can roll back some Maxes to older software versions.
All Boeing 737 Max carriers southwest airlines The company said it was “aware of this issue and is working with Boeing and the FAA.”
It added: “None of our aircraft, including the newly delivered Max 8 aircraft, are equipped with version U.14.” united airlines It also said it is not accepting deliveries of Max aircraft equipped with the new software.
But questions remain about the other two models, the Max 7 and Max 10. The Federal Aviation Administration certified the Max 7, the smallest model in the Max family, in early August with the latest software installed. It was not immediately clear whether the aircraft could be delivered or fly with an older version of the software.
Additionally, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told investors earlier this month that the company expects to receive FAA certification for the Max 10 “soon.”
“We are working with Boeing and the FAA and will continue to work closely with both companies as they evaluate this matter and determine next steps.” alaska airlinesA Max 10 customer said on Saturday.
The issue comes after years of delays for Boeing’s Max planes due to safety and manufacturing crises, including two Max 8 plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Both crashes involved defective flight control software systems (which have since been updated).
According to Cirium, there are currently 2,430 Max aircraft in service around the world.
