Boeing MAX stall device probed

Experts from major countries, including China, will meet on April 29 to begin a review of how the US Federal Aviation Administration approved the Boeing 737 MAX jet's flight control system.

The aircraft model has been grounded worldwide following crashes March 10 in Ethiopia and Oct 29, 2018, in Indonesia that killed a total of 346 passengers and crew.

Boeing and the FAA have been suspected of an allegedly cozy relationship in the initial certification of the MAX aircraft.

"I think it's a positive step forward for the FAA," James Hall, managing partner of Hall & Associates in Washington and former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told China Daily. "We need an effective certification process. It all depends on a full review of independent parties and the FAA."

In addition to China, countries sending representatives to participate in the review include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union, home of France-based Airbus, Boeing's main competitor.

"Having several entities involved complicates things," John Cochran, professor emeritus of aerospace engineering at Auburn University and president of Eaglemark, an aviation consulting firm, told China Daily.

"It's a good idea to have others involved so there's transparency," he said. "The FAA is not alone in needing to find a solution to the MAX's problems, because there's a worldwide need for new aircraft."

The international team of experts, officially called the Joint Authorities Technical Review panel, will be headed by Chris Hart, former chairman of the NTSB, and is expected to report its findings within 90 days of the first meeting.

"We welcome the Joint Authorities Technical Review and look forward to working with the panel," Peter Pedraza, a spokesman for Boeing, said in a statement.

The international team will focus on the MAX's automated anti-stall device that may have forced the planes' noses down and into fatal plunges when it erroneously determined the aircraft were about to stall.

The pilot or co-pilot can turn off the automated system by pressing a button on the center console. US pilots have said they were not adequately informed of the system and several developed an ad-hoc manual explaining its use.

Prior to the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia, the automated anti-stall system had been used by airlines around the world without incident.

The FAA said in a draft report that pilots need additional training on the anti-stall system, but do not require additional time in flight simulators.

Canada's transportation minister, however, said he wants simulator training for Boeing MAX pilots. Air Canada has 24 MAX jets.

In the US, United Airlines removed its 14 MAX jets from service until early July. American Airlines, with 24, and Southwest Airlines, with 34, do not expect the planes to return to service until August.

Speaking at a chamber of commerce meeting in Dallas, Gary Kelly, Southwest's CEO, said the airline will not abandon the 737 MAX and plans to buy "hundreds" more.

"It's a very good airplane," Kelly told the Dallas Business Journal, "but Boeing has acknowledged that they've got some things they need to address with the software in that airplane. It seems like it's a relatively straightforward modification."

Boeing said its pilots have made 120 flights totaling 203 hours to test new software developed for the anti-stall system and they are ready to proceed with certification.