Details on upgraded Boeing 737 software and why countries are still skeptic

After a hit at the Boeing 737 Max 8 model that has twice been involved in two fatal accidents within months, more than five countries grounded the model on their airlines. However, the Boeing Company took up the challenge to upgrade the model’s software.

The world’s largest planemaker has been working on the upgrade for its stall-prevention system since October’s Lion Air crash, when pilots are believed to have lost a tug of war with software that repeatedly pushed the nose down.

Boeing engineers armed with laptops and thumb drives will be able to upload a crucial software fix for the 737 MAX anti-stall system in about an hour.

There is just a few days left for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to approve the upgrades.

However, a premonition glares at the company as regulators in China, Europe and Canada have adamantly signaled that they will not rubber stamp an FAA decision to allow the planes back into the air unless they conduct their own reviews.

Prior to certification, the FAA was “directly involved” in the review of the upgraded system but “time yields more data to be applied for continued analysis and improvement,” Reuters reports.

The FAA and Boeing will now have to redo some analyses – including a formal functional hazard assessment – because they are making changes to a system that was already certified.

Conditions are clearly not all conducive for Boeing which was also hoping to launch a larger Boeing 777X, as European regulators give it more a stringent review.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *