Boeing Company today published an update to the flight crew operations manual for its 737 Max 8, warning of a possible fault in the aircraft’s angle of attack system that could cause the aircraft to violently pitch nose down, according to the FAA. The AOA measures the angular difference between the direction the aircraft is moving and the pitch of the aircraft’s wing. The agency followed the ops manual update with an emergency airworthiness directive against the aircraft, warning operators the pitch-over threat exists even when the aircraft is being hand flown by pilots. The agency said operators have less than 30 days to comply with the AD.
FAA Issues Emergency Airworthiness Directive Against Boeing 737 Max 8
Key Takeaways:
- Boeing updated its 737 Max 8 flight manual, and the FAA issued an emergency directive, warning of a potential Angle of Attack (AOA) system fault that could cause the aircraft to violently pitch nose down.
- This AOA system fault can feed incorrect data to other aircraft systems, potentially causing an automatic nose-down pitch even when pilots are flying manually.
- The warning comes after a Lion Air 737 Max 8 crashed, killing 189 people, and though investigators are cautious about a direct link, the AOA issue is a significant concern.
- Operators have less than 30 days to comply with the FAA's airworthiness directive to address this safety issue.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
See a mistake? Contact us.
