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 issued an update to the 737 Max 8 flight crew operations manual, warning of a potential angle of attack (AOA) system fault that could cause the aircraft to pitch nose down.
- The FAA followed with an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) for the 737 Max 8, stating the pitch-over threat exists even when the aircraft is hand-flown and requiring operator compliance within 30 days.
- This warning follows the recent fatal crash of Lion Air flight 610, a 737 Max 8, with investigators exploring whether the AOA issue contributed to the accident.
- Concerns focus on incorrect data from the AOA indicator or its software, which could cause the aircraft to pitch over automatically or lead to misinterpretation by the cockpit crew, particularly during manual flight.
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