Boeing has finished its safety update of the MCAS system, French media reports suggest. The MCAS was blamed for two fatal 737 MAX crashes. The necessary changes to the flight control system required by the FAA earlier this summer, however, are still being worked on.
The aircraft manufacturer has finished working on the fix for the MCAS system implicated in the two crashes that claimed the lives of 346 people, claimed a source close to the matter quoted by Agence France Presse (AFP). However, the flaw in the flight-control system that was detected by the FAA is still being worked on.
AeroTime has reached out to Boeing in order to confirm this information but did not receive an answer at the time this article was published.
In March 2019, Boeing was already preparing to submit its safety update to the FAA, but was asked to provide additional work by the authority, which stated that “time is needed for additional work by Boeing as the result of an ongoing review of the 737 MAX Flight Control System to ensure that Boeing has identified and appropriately addressed all pertinent issues”.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg is expected to give an update on the schedule on September 10, 2019. While the manufacturer expects to submit its update in the coming weeks and to see the grounding of its aircraft lifted by the end of the year, the FAA could send it back to the drawing board once again.
The update will also have to satisfy the JATR (Joint Authorities Technical Review) composed of the FAA, the EASA, as well as aviation authorities from Brazil, Canada, China, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore, and NASA.