The Federal Aviation Administration has discovered another
potential risk with the grounded 737 Max that Boeing has to resolve. The issue
emerged during a simulator test last week, according to Reuters. As such, a
certification test flight isn't expected to take place until July 8th at the
earliest, further delaying the plane's return to service.
"On the most recent issue, the FAA's process is
designed to discover and highlight potential risks. The FAA recently found a
potential risk that Boeing must mitigate," the FAA told the news agency.
"The safety of our airplanes is Boeing's highest priority," a Boeing
spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. "We are working closely with
the FAA to safely return the MAX to service."
#FAA Statement on the @Boeing #737Max.
pic.twitter.com/pGIkjgnfpn
— The FAA (@FAANews) June 26, 2019
While the FAA and Boeing didn't disclose the exact nature of
the flaw, CNN reports government pilots found an issue with the microprocessor
that may lead to the plane pointing downwards if the chip fails. According to
one of the outlet's sources, during the simulator tests, "it was difficult
for the test pilots to recover in a matter of seconds. And if you can't recover
in a matter of seconds, that's an unreasonable risk." It's not clear if
the microprocessor played a role in the crashes.
The 737 Max has been out of service since earlier this year
after two crashes killed 346 people. Last month, Boeing said it completed an
update to resolve software flaws that contributed to the incidents.
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