Federal regulators once again delayed the certification of one of Boeing’s newest plane models.
The FAA said on Tuesday that it won’t certify the planemaker’s 737 Max 10 jet until a newly discovered software bug is fixed.
Although the jet has faced years of regulatory delays, the Max 10’s approval for passenger flights seemed to be imminent, especially after the FAA certified the smaller variant, the Max 7, in August.
Even Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said earlier in September that he expected the Max 10 to receive approval “very soon,” according to a CNBC report.
Now a new setback has delayed the timeline yet again. The plane’s software problem, which Boeing noted to regulators in August and was first reported over the weekend, could happen with a vertical navigation system when a pilot has to perform a so-called “go-around,” or ditch a landing attempt and fly around and try again.
Go-arounds usually occur when an obstruction appears on the runway after a pilot has been cleared for landing.
Boeing Corporation building. (Photo Credit: IanDewarPhotography / Adobe Stock)
The FAA says it is currently investigating whether the software problem poses a safety issue for the planes. In the meantime, the aircraft’s certification will be postponed.
“We haven’t concluded whether this is a safety-of-flight issue or not, but we will be delaying the 10 ... until we’re satisfied that we don’t have an issue here,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a press conference on Monday, according to CNBC.
Bedford emphasized that in the event of an aborted landing and go-around, pilots are still in control of the aircraft, and they are well-trained for such scenarios.
“The issue that we’re looking at right now is the workload component,” he said.
The Max 10 will seat up to 210 passengers and have a flight range of up to 3,100 nautical miles.
The single-aisle plane was first set to launch in 2020, but was initially delayed after Boeing faced heightened safety scrutiny after two fatal crashes killed more than 200 people onboard another Max variant, the Max 8, in 2018 and 2019.
Those accidents were caused by an automated flight system taking control of the plane without pilots’ awareness. Bedford clarified that the Max 10 software system in question does not take any control away from the pilots.
Top airlines have placed hundreds of orders for Max 10 planes, including U.S. carriers like United, Alaska Airlines, Delta, and more.
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