Since March of last year, the Boeing 737 Max aircraft have been killed on the ground after two crashes. This is a huge economic loss for the US group. But now it should go on again. Three-day test flights are scheduled.
According to insiders, pilots and test crew members from the US aviation authority FAA and Boeing want to start tests for the re-registration of the 737 Max accident machine on Monday. The tests for the certification of the 737 Max should last at least three days, it said.
The crew will play through methodically defined scenarios in the air, like steep turns. The pilots would also intentionally trigger the newly programmed stall prevention software (MCAS), which failed in both accidents.
–
After two crashes of the type in Indonesia and Ethiopia with a total of 346 fatalities, the 737 Max has not been allowed to fly worldwide since March last year. Investigators believe that the two crashes were caused by a software problem in a stabilization system that is pushing the plane’s nose down if an impending stall occurs.
Boeing has revised the software since then. The next control step until a test flight was delayed again and again by new software problems.
Production again since the end of May
“The FAA is currently reviewing whether Boeing meets the requirements for the next step. We will only carry out a certification flight if we are satisfied with the data,” said a spokesman for the US aviation authority.
The security problems of the 737 Max plunged the company into a deep crisis, which was recently exacerbated by the worldwide slump in air traffic as a result of the corona virus pandemic. At the end of May, Boeing resumed production of the 737 Max despite the worldwide flight ban.
The FAA had introduced a policy last week that required inspections to better protect wiring near the engines. Boeing said it had discovered the shortcomings itself and had already recommended the measure in December 2019. The manufacturer works closely with its customers to ensure that the engine nacelles are fully protected from electrical energy. Boeing supports the FAA’s new airworthiness directive.
– .
