Boeing's MAX jet takes step toward return

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Tuesday it will soon issue a proposed airworthiness directive for the Boeing 737 MAX, a major step in returning the jet to commercial service.

The announcement suggests the FAA is satisfied with changes Boeing made in the jet's automated flight control system, which was blamed for two crashes that killed 346 passengers and crew. The 737 MAX, Boeing's top-selling plane, has been grounded since March 2019.

The public will have 45 days to comment on the FAA's decision, suggesting that the 737 MAX won't be ungrounded until mid-October at the earliest.

The plane is unlikely to return to service that soon because the FAA is also reviewing recommendations for updated pilot training on the new flight control system, and foreign regulators will be asked to comment.

"The FAA will not speculate when the work will be completed," the agency said in a statement. "The agency continues to follow a deliberate process and will take the time it needs to thoroughly review Boeing's work. We will lift the grounding order only after FAA safety experts are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards."

Boeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe told Reuters that the schedule for the jet's return to service will be determined by regulators.

"Boeing is working closely with the FAA and other international regulators to meet their expectations as we work to safely return the 737 MAX to service," Johndroe said.

On July 1, the FAA announced that it had completed three days of flights to test the new software for the MAX's automated flight control system.

Investigators believe the MAX's automated anti-stall device, called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), erroneously pointed the nose of the planes down to avoid a midair stall and into a fatal plunge leading to crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

The new, heavier engines on the MAX were moved closer to the fuselage, and that changed the in-flight handling characteristics of the jet. At times, the nose of the plane pitched up, which could lead to a midair stall. Boeing added MCAS to compensate.

A 52-page report by the US Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General covers activities from the initial steps in certifying the MAX in January 2012 through the second crash.

The report includes allegations of "undue pressure" from Boeing on those certifying the MAX's safety.

The inspector general also reviewed the FAA's oversight of Boeing through Organization Designation Authorization, a program that grants manufacturers such as Boeing the authority to perform much of the work to certify their own products.

Critics believe the FAA relied too heavily on Boeing engineers when certifying the MAX. But others say new technology quickly outpaces the ability of government regulators to evaluate it and therefore must rely on company engineers.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and Senator Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat, have drafted a bill intended to reform the way the FAA certifies new aircraft.

The bill would empower the FAA to hire or fire workers at aircraft manufacturers involved in aircraft certification. The federal regulatory agency also would have the authority to appoint safety advisers.

MCAS was "not an area of emphasis" on the MAX because Boeing characterized it as a modification of existing controls rather than as a new device, the inspector general said.

Boeing decided as early as 2013 to characterize the new system as a modification to minimize the need for additional training as part of the company's goal to limit costs to customers, the report said.

MCAS became more powerful as the design of the 737 MAX progressed, and FAA officials told the inspector general they had made important decisions about the device without knowing that it has been extensively altered, the report said.

As a result, the FAA approved the 737 MAX for commercial service without a clear understanding of how MCAS worked and the problems it could pose to pilots who weren't fully trained in its function or how to override it in an emergency, the inspector general concluded.

In January, Boeing reported a loss of $636 million in 2019 compared with a profit of $10.46 billion in 2018 — its first annual loss in more than 20 years. Boeing suspended dividends in March. Its CEO agreed to forgo pay this year.