The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday that it has determined that some aircraft have a new software flaw. boeing The 737 Max aircraft is not a flight safety issue.
The decision paves the way for certification of the 737 Max 10, the final model in the company’s best-selling aircraft family, just as Boeing aims to sell and deliver more planes after years of safety and manufacturing crises.
Boeing last month reported a software issue that could affect certain landing procedures, and the FAA announced Monday that it is considering whether the issue poses a flight safety issue.
“After a thorough investigation, the FAA’s panel of safety experts determined on Friday that a software issue in some Boeing 737 MAX flight computers does not pose a safety issue,” the FAA said in a statement. “The FAA Corrective Action Review Board made this decision because the pilot retains complete control of the aircraft and the instructions to the flight crew are clear and unambiguous.”
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.
The FAA announced Friday that it will issue a special bulletin to airlines on how to recognize and respond if this problem occurs.
The agency convened a review committee on Friday to evaluate the matter. Participants included FAA experts in airframes, flight controls, propulsion, flight testing, and more.
“As with any other situation, the FAA will consider appropriate actions if new information regarding this issue is received,” the agency said.
Although U.S. airlines say they are not affected by the issue because they can revert to older versions of the software, the problem raises questions about the certification of the Boeing 737 Max 10, which Boeing and airlines plan to introduce in the early fall.
The Max 10 is the largest of the aircraft family and will be the last Max lineup to receive government clearance to fly. The FAA approved the smallest Max series, the Max 7, in August.
737 Max 10 Customer CEO, alaska airlines and Ryanair earlier this week dismissed concerns about aircraft certification delays.
