“Potential power problem” for Boeing 737 MAX

John Bears and Matthew Rochebolt in Paris
France Media Agency

The American aircraft maker announced Friday that the 16 companies operating the 737 MAX should not be flown and that it should be time to fix it.

“This is recommended to verify the presence of an appropriate ground connection to one part of the power supply system,” the American aircraft manufacturer explained in a press release.

In a circuit, ground is used to prevent electrical overload when the device is properly insulated.

When asked by AFP, the American aircraft manufacturer confirmed that the device was found “during construction”, stating that its support could take “a few hours or a few days”.

The number of affected devices, as well as user identities were not specified. 450 Boeing 737 MAX 49 have been distributed to airlines and tenants since this model entered service.

American Airlines said in a statement to the AFP that it was already pinning 17 of its flights – 24 other MAXs were not affected by the issue accordingly – and that United Airlines had grounded 16 of the 30 flights. 737 MAXs are on its plane.

For Southwest Airlines, 58 587 Max 8 remained in 30 garages, although the company stated that it did not “experience operational issues” related to this technical issue.

United Airlines also told AFP that “we are studying the possibility of replacing aircraft to reduce the consequences on our customers,” but the American Aviation Gendarme (FAA) said in a tweet on Friday that air passengers should “contact their airlines about flight delays” and cancel. ”

400 devices in parking lots

More than 400 other planes are currently in Boeing parking lots, unable to deliver when the plane landed after two fatal crashes. The aircraft manufacturer did not complete selling them to its customers until 2022.

Boeing indicates that it is definitely warning its customers about the affected aircraft. “We will give them instructions on the corrective action to be taken,” he adds, without mentioning the delay.

He said he was working with the FAA on the issue.

The new version of the legendary medium, 737 MAX, released in 1967, turned the aircraft manufacturer into one of the most serious crises in its history, damaging its reputation over quality and spending billions of dollars.

The plane was banned from flying in March 2019 after two crashes that killed 346 people, followed by a Lion Air flight (189 dead) in Indonesia in October 2019 and an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March 2019. In Ethiopia (157 died).

These crashes highlight a flaw in the MCAS flight control software. Each time, after receiving incorrect information from one of the two AOA angle attack sensors, it indicates that the aircraft was in a stall, the MCAS was taken even though the pilots tried to deactivate it and the aircraft was pitched.

The device was cleared on the plane again in the United States in November, and then in many parts of the world, after modifications to the software, some cables were reinstalled and re-trained pilots.

However, it is still in China, where 81,737 MAX were distributed.

Doubts over the aircraft’s reliability have led many airlines to cancel their orders, reaching 641 MAX by 2020.

However, the device has been back with its customers in recent weeks, with investment firm 777 partners ordering 24 devices and American giant Southwest Orleans 100 copies.