Seattle Times: FAA faces dilemma over 737 MAX wiring flaw that Boeing missed
Feb 16, 2020, 4:00 pm
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Seattle Times: FAA faces dilemma over 737 MAX wiring flaw that Boeing missed
An interesting article in the Seattle Times about yet another development in the 737 MAX saga:
Link to the full story: The Seattle Times - FAA faces dilemma over 737 MAX wiring flaw that Boeing missed (Feb. 14, 2020 at 7:14 pm Updated Feb. 14, 2020 at 10:26 pm)
During the original design and certification of Boeing’s 737 MAX, company engineers didn’t notice that the electrical wiring doesn’t meet federal aviation regulations for safe wire separation. And the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) failed to detect Boeing’s miss.
The wiring vulnerability creates the theoretical potential for an electrical short to move the jet’s horizontal tail uncommanded by the pilot, which could be catastrophic. If that were to happen, it could lead to a flight control emergency similar to the one that brought down two MAX jets, causing 346 deaths and the grounding of the aircraft.
Because this danger is extremely remote, the FAA faces a dilemma over what to do about it. The issue has complicated the return of the MAX to service after a grounding that is edging close to one year.
Modifying the wiring would be a delicate and expensive task, and Boeing this week submitted a proposal to the FAA, arguing that it shouldn’t be required.
Yet allowing the wiring to remain as is will be difficult at a time when both Boeing and the FAA are under tremendous scrutiny.
The wiring vulnerability creates the theoretical potential for an electrical short to move the jet’s horizontal tail uncommanded by the pilot, which could be catastrophic. If that were to happen, it could lead to a flight control emergency similar to the one that brought down two MAX jets, causing 346 deaths and the grounding of the aircraft.
Because this danger is extremely remote, the FAA faces a dilemma over what to do about it. The issue has complicated the return of the MAX to service after a grounding that is edging close to one year.
Modifying the wiring would be a delicate and expensive task, and Boeing this week submitted a proposal to the FAA, arguing that it shouldn’t be required.
Yet allowing the wiring to remain as is will be difficult at a time when both Boeing and the FAA are under tremendous scrutiny.
Feb 18, 2020, 9:49 am
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Is this wiring the same on all earlier 737s? If so this is always an interesting question do you let grandfathering status lie where they lie, or do any update on codes have to be applied globally, be it cars, airplanes, buildings?
Any new thing has the opportunity to learn/improve and update to new code. If this is indeed the case with the 737Max, it should be fixed, given all the other drama about low probability but high risk items BA decided not to address in the desire for TTM and ROI
Any new thing has the opportunity to learn/improve and update to new code. If this is indeed the case with the 737Max, it should be fixed, given all the other drama about low probability but high risk items BA decided not to address in the desire for TTM and ROI
Feb 21, 2020, 10:59 pm
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Boeing faces more fines/litigation in regard to non-disclosure and non-compliance with regulations.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/co...ty/ar-BB10ew86
https://www.seattletimes.com/busines...by-mid-summer/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/co...ty/ar-BB10ew86
https://www.seattletimes.com/busines...by-mid-summer/
Delays in 737 MAX certification flight may push off Boeing’s goal to win approval by midsummer
The critical flights on the updated Boeing 737 MAX that must be flown by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilots before the plane can be certified again are now unlikely to happen before late April, according to two people familiar with the details.
Last edited by cblaisd; Feb 22, 2020 at 10:02 pm Reason: merged poster's two consecutive posts