Boeing Pushing Back After Being Accused Of Omitting Important Safety Measures
CHICAGO (CBS) -- After two deadly crashes in the last year, a source tells the Wall Street Journal Boeing cut corners with safety measures.
But Boeing is pushing back at the new report, which says Boeing engineers left key safeguards out of the 737 Max planes flight control system.
The Wall Street Journal reports those same safeguards were actually included in an earlier military version of the plane.
Investigators believe issues with this system was a common link in two deadly crashes that killed 346 people in the last year.
A source close to the situation tells the Journal the system is supposed to rely on multiple sensors.
Those sensors work together to help prevent any errors the computer might make that would cause the pilot to lose control.
But the version that made its way onto the 737 Max planes only relies on one sensor.
The military version also allowed pilots to override the system.
The 737 Max wasn't equipped with that option.
A Boeing representative says both planes use a flight control system, but they are not comparable and the two systems differ in how they were built and they way pilots use them.
The company released the following statement regarding the matter:
"The KC-46 tanker does use a Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) flight control law. However, the architecture, implementation, and pilot interface of the KC-46 tanker MCAS are different than that of the 737 MAX. The systems are not directly comparable."
Still, the company has announced it will be updating the 737 Max's software, making it more like the military offering.
The 737 Max has been grounded worldwide for nearly seven months.
The company says with this revision the 737 Max will be among the safest airplanes to ever fly and is hopeful it will return to the skies soon.
