“We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost,” the company’s Chairman, President & Chief Executive said while claiming responsibility for two fatal 737 MAX crashes.
In an online statement, Boeing’s Dennis Muilenburg admitted that software failure was one of the causes that led Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 to fall from the only six minutes into a flight from Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa to Kenya’s capital of Nairobi. All 157 people onboard died in the crash.
Muilenburg said preliminary investigations into the recent accident revealed that the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System activated in response false sensor readings. This was the same malfunction which caused Lion Air’s Flight 610 to dive into the Java Sea five months earlier.
https://twitter.com/BoeingCEO/status/1113880952575549441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeednews.com%2Farticle%2Fclaudiakoerner%2Fboeing-is-taking-responsibility-in-the-737-jet-crashes-that
Extending deepest sympathies to those affected by the crash, Muilenburg stressed that the aircraft manufacturer can resolve the malfunction and eliminate any future risk by finalising and implementing a software update.
“It’s our responsibility to eliminate this risk. We own it and we know how to do it.”
Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing Chairman, President & Chief Executive
“We’re taking a comprehensive, disciplined approach, and taking the time, to get the software update right.”
Muilenburg said that the softward update is nearing completion and believes it will be rolled out on the 737 MAX fleet worldwide in the weeks ahead. To support the system upgrade, Boeing will also work with pilots on associated training and provide additional educational materials.
“We remain confident in the fundamental safety of the 737 MAX. All who fly on it—the passengers, flight attendants and pilots, including our own families and friends—deserve our best,” he added.
“When the MAX returns to the skies with the software changes to the MCAS function, it will be among the safest airplanes ever to fly.”
Click here to read the full statement.
- READ: Global fleet of 371 aircraft grounded
- READ: Several nations order airlines to ground aircraft after fatal crash
- READ: No survivors among all 157 passengers & crew