The Federal Aviation Administration has discovered yet another problem with the embattled Boeing 737 Max aircraft, an issue that could again delay the plane’s return to the skies.
The flaw, in the computer system, was uncovered during a simulator test last week as Boeing struggles to get its best-selling plane back in the air.
MORE Airlines & Airports
The FAA did not elaborate on the extent of the issue, and sources told Reuters News Agency it is not yet clear whether it can be addressed with a software upgrade or if it requires a more complex fix.
The Boeing 737 Max was grounded in March after separate crashes just months apart on Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines killed 346 people.
Preliminary reports showed that a new stabilization system forced both planes into a nosedive from which the pilots could not recover. Boeing has been working on a software fix for the apparent problem.
Sources told CNN that the new flaw was a microprocessor failure found during simulator testing that could cause the same problem—forcing the nose downward. “It was difficult for the test pilots to recover in a matter of seconds,” one of the sources told the network. “And if you can’t recover in a matter of seconds, that’s an unreasonable risk.”
The FAA tweeted late Wednesday afternoon that it continues to “follow a thorough process, not a prescribed deadline,” for clearing the 737 Max for flight.
#FAA Statement on the @Boeing #737Max. pic.twitter.com/pGIkjgnfpn
— The FAA (@FAANews) June 26, 2019
The airlines remain wary. Every major U.S. airline has now twice airlines/southwest-airlines-cancels-boeing-737-max-flights-through-labor-day.html” target=”_self” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>extended its cancellation of using the aircraft through Labor Day. As of Wednesday night, no airline had responded to news of the latest potential issue.
