Boeing, FAA Share Blame in 737 Max Certification

A task force found that the company did not fully explain an automated flight system featured in its new jet.

In this April 10, 2019 photo, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane being built for India-based Jet Airways lands following a test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle.
In this April 10, 2019 photo, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane being built for India-based Jet Airways lands following a test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle.
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File

NEW YORK (AP) — Boeing did not fully explain to federal regulators an automated flight system featured in its new 737 Max, and those regulators didn't have the capability to effectively analyze much of what Boeing did share about the plane.

Those are the findings of a multiagency task force due to release its findings Friday, according to a report in The New York Times.

The Boeing 737 Max was grounded following crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed a total of 346 people late last year.

The task force only looked at the Federal Aviation Administration's certification of the Max's flight control system, but that allowed it to review the certification of the new automated system involved in the crashes.

The New York Times received a draft copy of the task force's report.

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