Task force finds flaws in FAA’s MAX approval process
A task force of global civil aviation regulators found gaps in the FAA’s certification process that contributed to insufficient reviews of the Boeing 737 MAX flight control system, and made recommendations aimed at ensuring the aircraft’s airworthiness and improving the agency’s product-approval requirements.
SWAPA: Boeing ‘deliberately’ withheld MAX ‘safety critical’ details
A lawsuit filed by the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) escalates the union’s already critical public views of Boeing and the 737 MAX, accusing the manufacturer of deliberately misrepresenting and withholding “safety critical” details about the new model for years.
Analyst: US airlines face minimal near-term tariff fallout
Most US airlines would see minimal near-term fallout from tariffs on Airbus deliveries, although New York-based JetBlue Airways and Florida-based Spirit Airlines could face notable challenges offsetting added costs, a Bernstein analysis has concluded.
Industry needs to attract more women pilots
Convincing more women to pursue careers as pilots would help ease a supply crunch that could soon threaten even the largest airlines in the US, two pilot-workforce experts said.
US pilots positive on new MAX software
US pilots who have tested the new Boeing 737 MAX flight-control software have given it positive reviews and some carriers are beginning to finalize step-by-step MAX return-to-service plans, suggesting that Boeing’s notional timeline of getting FAA approval by year-end may come to fruition.
FAA to require high-time 737NG inspections
The FAA is working with Boeing to finalize an inspection order on higher-time 737NGs after cracks were discovered in fuselage frames and related parts on three 737-800s being converted to freighters.
Boeing creates new safety unit after board-level review
Boeing is implementing several recommendations made by its board of directors aimed at elevating the company’s safety focus, led by the creation of a new Product and Services Safety (PSS) unit, CEO Dennis Muilenburg announced Sept. 30.
Boeing CEO Muilenburg to testify at MAX hearing Oct. 30
Boeing president and CEO Dennis Muilenburg and two other company representatives, including the 737 chief pilot, will testify before a US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on the 737 MAX scheduled for Oct. 30, the committee said Sept. 27.
NTSB urges FAA to rethink pilot performance assumptions
Fundamental aircraft design assumptions about how pilots respond during system failures and react to flight deck hazard indicators are inadequate and must be reevaluated, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded.
