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Boeing conducts final test flight of 737 MAX with software fix
WASHINGTON, April 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Boeing has conducted a final test
flight of a 737 MAX model with an updated anti-stall system prior to its
certification by aviation authorities, the aerospace manufacturer said
Wednesday.
CEO Dennis Muilenberg tweeted a video where he said the test flight was
carried out on Tuesday, adding that test pilots have completed 120 flights
totaling more than 203 hours of airtime with the software fix for the
Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
Investigators have zeroed in on the system as a factor behind the Lion Air
and Ethiopian Airlines crashes in October and in March respectively, killing
nearly 350 people in total.
In both cases, the planes nose-dived shortly after takeoff, signaling a
problem in a system that was deployed to correct for an aerodynamic issue
that tended to cause the plane’s nose to pitch up.
“More than 85 percent of the 50-plus MAX operators around the globe also
have had the opportunity to see the update in action during simulator
sessions,” added Muilenberg.
All 737 MAX aircraft have been banned from the world’s skies since days
after the Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday said a portion of the
proposed modifications were “operationally suitable” but said it would not
rush towards approval.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0912 hrs