Airlines told to check aircraft as affected components may be at risk of premature failure
Safety regulators in the US have identified a further problem in Boeing’s grounded 737 Max model and the generation of planes that preceded it.
The Federal Aviation Administration has told airlines to check more than 300 737 aircraft, including 179 of the Max model, for improperly manufactured parts.
Continue reading...Plane taken out of service after Ethiopian Airlines crash may not fly before peak season
The Boeing 737 Max aircraft will not return to the skies before August, according to the boss of aviation’s main trade body.
The 737 Max was grounded by regulators in the wake of two crashes, and although manufacturer Boeing has been working on a fix to allay safety concerns, the timetable is now likely to see it out of service for another 10 to 12 weeks, into peak season for many airlines.
Continue reading...American Airlines (AA) pilots angrily confronted a Boeing official about an anti-stall system suspected in two fatal crashes of the manufacturer’s 737 Max aircraft, according to a new recording.
Related: Boeing boss rejects accusations about 737 Max jets that crashed
Continue reading...Boeing says it’s abandoned its 2019 financial outlook and halted share buybacks in mid-March as it deals with the crisis
The global grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max jets will cost the company more than $1bn, the company said on Wednesday.
The jets were grounded after two fatal crashes that killed 346 people and have triggered investigations into the accidents across the world and left Boeing with one of the biggest crises in its history.
Continue reading...Investigators say pilots were unable to prevent plane’s nose from pointing down
The pilots of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max that crashed last month killing 157 people correctly followed Boeing’s emergency instructions but were still unable to stop the plane’s nose repeatedly pointing down, investigators said.
In the final seconds before the crash, pilots tried desperately to right the plane by switching its anti-stall software on and off but to no avail. The jet hit an airspeed of 500 knots (575mph), well above its operational limits, before cockpit data recordings stopped.
Continue reading...Reports of high-level briefing with US regulators come as lawsuit is filed against Boeing
Investigators believe Boeing’s controversial anti-stall system on its 737 Max aircraft was activated before Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed, killing all 157 people onboard, according to reports of a high-level safety briefing with US regulators.
The apparent findings, reported in the Wall Street Journal, would be the strongest indication yet that the same software problem could have contributed to the crash and that of Lion Air flight 610, which killed 189 people in Indonesia in October.
Continue reading...Company blames loss of passenger trust after Ethiopia Airlines and Lion Air disasters involving the aircraft
Indonesia’s national carrier Garuda has cancelled a multibillion-dollar order for 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets after two fatal crashes involving the plane, the company said, blaming passengers’ loss of trust in the aircraft.
In what is thought to be the first formal cancellation for the model, Garuda spokesman Ikhsan Rosan said: “We have sent a letter to Boeing requesting that the order be cancelled.
Continue reading...Within three minutes of takeoff, Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 had accelerated to unusually high speeds. Captain Yared Getachew knew something was wrong as the aircraft, a Boeing 737 Max 8, erratically dipped and climbed by hundreds of feet. He radioed air traffic control, requesting a return to Addis Ababa airport.
He was cleared to return and the aircraft began to turn right, climbing even higher. A minute later, flight 302 disappeared from the radar.
Continue reading...US politicians say ban will last through April, as data from Ethiopian Airlines flight arrives in France
Boeing’s 737 Max 8 and 9 planes will remain grounded for weeks at a minimum, US politicians said on Thursday, as flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the crashed Ethiopian Airlines plane arrived in France.
After a briefing with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), congressman Rick Larsen said the planes, which have been involved in two fatal crashes in the last five months, would be banned from flying “at least through April” while new software is installed and investigations continue.
Continue reading...FAA supported the grounding saying it had uncovered information in the Ethiopia crash that was similar to the Indonesia crash in October
Donald Trump grounded Boeing’s 737 Max fleet on Wednesday, days after the second fatal crash involving the plane in five months.
Issuing an emergency order, Trump said all 737 Max jets in the US would now be grounded. “Planes that are in the air will be grounded if they are the 737 Max. Will be grounded upon landing at their destination,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Continue reading...Disaster marks second crash for Boeing 737 Max 8 in four months, with passengers from 35 different countries
An Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed on Sunday near Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board. Here’s what we know about the crash.
Continue reading...Federal Aviation Administration increasingly isolated in maintaining plane is safe as EU countries halt flights
Boeing and the US aviation authorities have come under increasing pressure to ground the 737 Max despite repeated reassurances as the European Union and numerous other countries halted flights and Donald Trump weighed in following a second fatal crash involving the plane in less than five months.
US regulators, airlines and the manufacturer have become increasingly isolated in maintaining that the plane is safe.
Continue reading...Confidence that a newer plane inevitably means a safer plane in danger of being shaken
The crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi is a tragedy that threatens to leave fresh questions hanging over the aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
Few details about the crash are yet available, but according to Ethiopian Airlines the pilot, who was experienced with an excellent flying record, reported difficulties and asked to turn back.
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