Nyakundi Report notes that on November 20, 2018, Boeing Co. canceled a conference call it had planned for Tuesday morning with airlines to discuss systems on the 737 MAX, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The call was expected to focus on the aircraft model involved in the Lion Air disaster in Indonesia last month. Boeing was not immediately available for comment, and it was not clear whether the discussion would be rescheduled.
The cancellation came as the U.S. manufacturer faced growing scrutiny from regulators and pilots over the first major accident involving the 737 MAX, the latest version of its narrow-body jet. All 189 people aboard the Lion Air aircraft died when it crashed into the Java Sea on Oct. 29.
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the crash, but attention has centered on a new emergency system designed to keep the 737 MAX from stalling. Questions have been raised about whether that system played a role in the disaster.
After the accident, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines that bad data from the anti-stall system’s sensors could force the jet to push its nose down automatically, even with autopilot switched off. That, the agency said, could make the aircraft difficult for pilots to control.
Boeing has already issued two updates to operators around the world, both aimed at reinforcing existing procedures for handling situations linked to the system. Sources also said the company has held separate meetings with some airlines to address their concerns.
Indonesian investigators said a preliminary report on the Lion Air crash would be released on Nov. 28 or 29 after analysis of the aircraft’s flight data recorder. Divers had not yet recovered the cockpit voice recorder, which could help clarify what the pilots were doing and provide a fuller account of the final moments.
The 2015 file photo supplied with the report showed a Boeing 737 MAX 8 outside the hangar during a media tour at the Boeing plant in Renton, Washington, on December 8, 2015.
Reporting by Tracy Rucinski. Editing by Franklin Paul and Steve Orlofsky.
