Chairman, President and CEO, Boeing Company, Dennis Muilenburg, says the company will complete the software update of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) in 737 Max aircraft.
Muilenburg disclosed this in a statement on Friday in response to the preliminary report on its crashed flight 302, released by the Ethiopian Accident Investigation Bureau on Thursday.
He said that the full details of what happened in both Lion Air and Ethiopian accidents would be issued by the government authorities in the final reports.
Boeing president added with the release of the preliminary report of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 accident investigation, it was apparent that in both flights, the MCAS was activated in response to erroneous angle of attack information.
According to him, the history of our industry shows most accidents are caused by a chain of events.
He said that it was the similar case in the recent two accidents, adding that pilots had stated that erroneous activation of the MCAS function could add to what was already a high workload environment.
According to Muilenburg, it is our responsibility to eliminate this risk; we own it and we know how to do it.
“From the days immediately following the Lion Air accident, we have had teams of our top engineers and technical experts working tirelessly in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration and our customers to finalize and implement a software update that will ensure accidents like that of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 never happen again.
“We are taking a comprehensive, disciplined approach, and taking the time, to get the software update right.
“We’re nearing completion and anticipate its certification and implementation on the 737 MAX fleet worldwide in the weeks ahead.
“We regret the impact the grounding has had on our airline customers and their passengers.
“This update, along with the associated training and additional educational materials that pilots want in the wake of these accidents, will eliminate the possibility of unintended MCAS activation and prevent an MCAS-related accident from ever happening again.
“We at Boeing take the responsibility to build and deliver airplanes to our airline customers and to the flying public that are safe to fly, and can be safely flown by every single one of the professional and dedicated pilots all around the world. This is what we do at Boeing,” he said.
The CEO expressed confidence in the fundamental safety of the 737 MAX, assuring that all who fly on it—the passengers, flight attendants and pilots, including families and friends deserved the best from Boeing.
He also assured that when the MAX returns to the skies with the software changes to the MCAS function, it would be among the safest airplanes ever to fly.
“We’ve always been relentlessly focused on safety and always will be; it is at the very core of who we are at Boeing and we know we can always be better.
“Our team is determined to keep improving on safety in partnership with the global aerospace industry and broader community because it is this shared sense of responsibility for the safety of flight that spans and binds us all together.
“We know lives depend on the work we do and that demands the utmost integrity and excellence in how we do it.
“With a deep sense of duty, we embrace the responsibility of designing, building and supporting the safest airplanes in the skies. We know every person who steps aboard one of our airplanes places their trust in us.
“Together, we’ll do everything possible to earn and re-earn that trust and confidence from our customers and the flying public in the weeks and months ahead.
“Again, we’re deeply saddened by and are sorry for the pain these accidents have caused worldwide. Everyone affected has our deepest sympathies,” he said.
