The risk of another emergency with Boeing 737 Max aircraft was apparently earlier known to the US aviation authority FAA than previously thought. Already after the first of two crashes, the authorities have seen a high risk, reports the "Wall Street Journal", citing an FAA representative.
The review of the supervisors has shown that for a new malfunction similar kind not much must come together. The authority has not commented on this so far.
Only after the crash of a second Boeing 737 Max with 157 dead in Ethiopia in March 2019, the authorities had finally imposed a worldwide ban on flights for corresponding aircraft. Previously, in October 2018, such a Boeing model crashed off the Indonesian island of Java, all 189 inmates died.
Warning to pilots deemed sufficient?
When searching for the cause of both crashes, the control software MCAS is suspected. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FAA initially considered a warning to pilots sufficient after the first crash. Boeing should therefore have ten months to change the MCAS control software.
The MCAS program is said to have steered the accident machines automatically to the ground. A first investigation report on the cause of the crash in Ethiopia comes to the conclusion that the pilots had no chance to prevent the disaster.
If the US newspaper's report were correct, it would increase the pressure on the FAA. The authority is in any case in the criticism, because they should have left in the approval of the 737 Max important safety checks the manufacturer. That is why it is being investigated against the FAA and Boeing.
Boeing claims to have completed the development of an update to the aircraft control software that may be responsible for the crashes. When the US aviation authority FAA certified the changes and resumed the flight operations is open.
Meanwhile, Boeing does not want to give a new business outlook. The profit of the group collapsed last strongly, the turnover sank by the flight ban by approximately 35 per cent. The European competitor Airbus has been catching up ever since.
