Boeing 737

2024

Boeing admits defective software fraud that caused 2 plane crashes with hundreds dead

In early July 2024, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to fraud charges related to malfunctions of 737 Max planes. We are talking about plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, in which hundreds of people died.

According to Reuters, Boeing Corporation decided to make a deal with the US Department of Justice. The investigation is related to the crash of the 737 Max liner of the Indonesian airline Lion Air in 2018: then 189 people were killed. The second crash occurred in 2019, when an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed: the incident claimed 157 lives. Both cases referred to management problems caused by defective software. The fraud was related to Boeing's deliberately false claims of new software with higher efficiency.

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The guilty plea requires approval from a federal judge. In addition, Boeing will have to pay a fine of $243.6 million to complete the investigation of the Ministry of Justice. Concluding an agreement could jeopardize the signing of lucrative government contracts with organizations such as the US Department of Defense and NASA. On the other hand, the agreement saves Boeing from litigation that could reveal significant problems in the company's operations.

A Boeing spokesman confirmed the company had "reached an agreement in principle on the terms of a settlement with the Justice Department." The aircraft manufacturer also agreed to invest at least $455 million over three years to strengthen its security programs and comply with the established requirements. The agreement calls for the appointment of an independent watchdog to file annual progress reports on Boeing. At the same time, the deal drew sharp criticism from the families of the victims, who wanted to bring the case to court.^[1]

US Secretary of State Blinken late to NATO forum due to breakdown of his Boeing 737

US Secretary of State Blinken was late to the NATO forum on April 3, 2024 due to a plane breakdown (a Boeing Co. 737 model modified for official use by the US government).

US authorities warned airlines about loose parts in Boeing aircraft

The company Boeing had more problems by January 22, 2024, when the Federal Aviation Administration USA warned airlines to check for loose parts on another model after some companies operating 737-900ER planes reported unspecified bolt problems.

Oxygen leak on US Secretary of State's plane

In January 2023, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was stuck in Davos after his plane (a modified Boeing 737) suffered a "critical breakdown" associated with an oxygen leak. According to a member of his press pool, another plane flew to Switzerland for him.

To bring the top US diplomat home from Brussels, a smaller plane was sent, while many of his aides and members of the press pool had to travel to Washington on a commercial plane.

New 737 Max 9 plane has fuselage section burst during flight

The shutdown of the company's 737 Max 9 Boeing jets in January 2024 is rapidly gaining momentum, with carriers from USA to Hats Turkey and recalling these models for inspections after the new Alaska Airlines plane's fuselage section burst during flight.

2021

Arrest of Boeing chief tester over withholding of defective software for Boeing 737 Max

US Department of Justice On October 14, 2021, it announced the indictment of the arrested chief technical pilot, Boeing Mark Forkner accusing him of hiding vital safety information and affirmative deception by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during the certification of 737 the Max model. The case against Forkner marked the first time an individual, not a company, had been charged with disasters. Forkner lied to authorities in the name of the company's financial well-being, the department said. More. here

Boeing will pay a $17 million fine for the use of deliberately defective components

At the end of May 2021, it became known that Boeing would pay at least $17 million in fines for using deliberately defective components. The airline also pledged to fix the flaws in the production of the 737 series aircraft as soon as possible.

Boeing 737 MAX flights have been suspended worldwide after two crashes. In one of them, 157 people died in the crash of this model, in the other - another 189 people became victims of the crash of the Boeing 737 MAX airliner.

Boeing will pay a fine of $17 million for the use of deliberately defective components

As reported by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft manufacturer will pay a fine for violations committed in the production of aircraft between 2015 and 2019. The audit revealed that the control system of 759 Boeing 737 and MAX aircraft used sensors that did not receive proper approval from federal regulators. Although systems manufactured by third-party supplier Rockwell Collins did not meet production guarantees, Boeing certified the aircraft as airworthy.

In addition, the aviation concern sought approval from 178 airliners made using potentially faulty components. Boeing received a fine for installing defective slat tracks on the leading edges of the wings of the 178 MAX and 133 NG models and for failing to comply with the quality assurance system.

To settle the claims, Boeing agreed to strengthen internal product quality control. The FAA promises to review the measures taken and the results achieved. But although the fine received turned out to be the largest in the last few years, this is a relatively small amount for Boeing. The air concern could face a fine of another $10 million if it does not comply with the terms of the agreement with the FAA.^[2]

Boeing aircraft recall due to electrical problems

In mid-May 2021, Boeing announced that it had received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for proposed ways to fix an electrical problem that forced the company to recall part of its 737 Max fleet.

For the first time, electrical problems were found during tests of the 737 Max 8, Boeing and the FAA said. The malfunction of the power supply system on the aircraft, as it turned out, was associated with a poor-quality electrical connection, which caused the panels in the package, which were also supposed to conduct electricity and form part of the connection to the aircraft frame, to work inefficiently. Experts note that certain components on the aircraft, including the main dashboard of the pilots and the backup power control unit, were incorrectly grounded.

Hundreds of defective Boeing aircraft recall due to electronics malfunction

The FAA argues that this could potentially affect the functioning of some of the aircraft's systems, including the protection of the engine from icing, and provoke a failure of functions, up to the inability to make a safe flight and landing. Aviation authorities are concerned that, over time, other 737 aircraft that are already in service may have similar problems.

The FAA has introduced an airworthiness directive for the carrier, which states that Boeing aircraft facing the issue must be modified before they can be allowed to operate again. It is estimated that it will take several days to fix the problems of each aircraft, in total Boeing has 109 defective aircraft, or about a quarter of the world MAX fleet.

U.S. airlines hope their defective planes can take to the skies again for Memorial Day, just in time for a busy summer travel season.^[3]

2020

Boeing begins test flights on 737 MAX

In June, Boeing began a series of flight tests of the updated 737 MAX aircraft in the hope of obtaining permission to fly after accidents that destroyed the reputation of the airliner. The disasters in Ethiopia and Indonesia killed 346 Boeing people^[4].

The first flight tests took place on Monday and took 3 hours. In total, Boeing has scheduled three days of tests to test avionics.

Once the flights are complete, the FAA must review the test data and approve new pilot training procedures. In case of a positive result, flights will be allowed in September.

Permission from the FAA will lift hundreds of parked airliners into the air. Now, the planes on the hook are bringing losses to Boeingodni. There are 450 such machines in total.

American airlines said that preparing aircraft and pilots for flights will take them from 30 to 60 days.

The main task of the FAA is to confirm the successful modernization of the MCAS opposing system. Its malfunction caused both accidents with victims.

Boeing will spend another $18.7 billion to solve problems with aircraft with defective software

On March 10, 2020, it became known that Boeing would spend at least another $18.7 billion to solve problems with 737 Max aircraft that were involved in plane crashes due to defective software.

According to CNN, the company will pay $8.3 billion in compensation to customers. By $6.3 billion, the cost of modernizing aircraft will increase, by $4 billion - for their assembly after the resumption of operation. Another $100 million will fall on the fund's budget, from which compensation is paid by relatives of those killed in two Max 737 plane crashes. However, the channel notes that the costs of lawsuits may also increase.

Problems with 737 MAX will cost the American company Boeing at least $18.7 billion

Meanwhile, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed imposing a fine of $19.68 million on Boeing for installing equipment that has not passed the required certification for hundreds of 737 airliners.

Earlier it was reported that Boeing's costs due to the crisis associated with the 737 MAX aircraft could amount to $15 billion in the first half of 2020. There is also an alternative assessment of the possible losses of the company.

Our estimate is about $23 billion for everything, excluding compensation for lost lives, - the television company quotes analyst Ronald Epstein from the Merrill Lynch division of the American Bank of America.

The expert added that this figure will increase if he bans flights for longer.

On March 9, 2020, Boeing shares fell 13.4% amid the 737 MAX crisis, the collapse of the entire stock market and flight restrictions to China. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that passenger airlines could lose up to $113 billion in revenue in 2029 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus COVID-19.

Industry sources told Reuters airlines had begun asking for a delay in aircraft deliveries and cash payments to Boeing and Airbus.^[5]

New marriage found in Boeing aircraft software

On February 6, 2020, it became known about a new defect in the software of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. According to Bloomberg, citing the head of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Steve Dickson, we are talking about problems in the stabilization system.

The problem is related to the incorrect operation of the light indicator, which warns of a malfunction of the longitudinal balancing system in the aircraft. The lamp on the dashboard "remains on longer than necessary," he explained.

New defect found in Boeing 737 MAX software

The manufacturer revealed a malfunction during flight tests and reported it to the Federal Aviation Administration at the end of 2019.

Boeing is set to rewrite the 737 MAX software. The company plans to update the software for two on-board computers, which must take turns counting the parameters of the aircraft during the flight.

It is noted that the problem must be eliminated before the airliner can be returned to operation after being discontinued. How long it may take to fix the problem is not reported.

Boeing has officially announced that operation of the troubled 737 MAX aircraft could resume no earlier than mid-2020. Russian airlines ordered 59 cars of this type. Sources of the Kommersant newspaper among market participants say that after the formal start of deliveries, real flights will not come soon - pilots will still have to be retrained, which may take several months due to the limited number of simulators.

On February 6, 2020, Steve Dixon told reporters in London that the certification flight (a key regulatory step to allow the liner to start flying with passengers again) of the 737 MAX could take place within the next few weeks.

On February 6, 2020, when it became known about a new software marriage in 737 MAX aircraft, Boeing shares rose 3.7%. Over the previous 12 months, the company's quotes sank by 15.7%.^[6]

Boeing borrowed $12 billion to cover losses due to aircraft with defective software

At the end of 2020, it became known about the agreements that Boeing reached with several banks regarding the provision of loans totaling $12 billion. The company will spend this money to cover losses associated with the production and operation of 737 Max aircraft with defective software, due to which two plane crashes occurred.

Boeing makes first annual loss in 20 years due to 737 MAX

According to the Financial Times, credit institutions will provide Boeing with financing in the form of a loan with a floating date of issue and a two-year maturity. Banks that agreed to provide financial support to the company included Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley.

CNBC reports that the loan amount is less than $2 billion more than originally required, which is a vote of confidence in the manufacturer from creditors. According to the TV channel, earlier in January 2020, the company was negotiating with banks to receive a loan in the amount of $10 billion or more.

International rating agency Fitch Ratings lowered the company's long-term credit rating to A- from A due to the uncertainty of the timing of the 737 MAX's return to flight after two crashes, the premise of which was the design features of the aircraft.

From Boeing's financial statements for 2019, it follows that the company wrote off about $9.2 billion due to the 737 MAX. This amount includes compensation payments to customers. The company estimates the total losses from the ban on flights and the shutdown of production of this type at $18.6 billion. Only the shutdown and subsequent resumption of production of the Boeing 737 MAX will cost $4 billion.

Due to these monetary losses, Boeing received its first annual loss since 1997 in 2019. The company said it expects 737 MAX jets to return to service in mid-2020 .^[7]

Malfunction in Boeing 737 aircraft software jamming cockpit displays

A curious^[8] was discovered in the software of Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft^[9]: Cockpit displays stop displaying data when an^[10] goes to land at certain airports. The glitch occurs when the plane's crew attempts to program an autopilot to approach instruments on certain runways^[11].

More precisely, the displays in the cockpit go out when landing at seven airports. Five of them are in the United States, two more in South America (Colombia and Guyana).

The instrument approach procedure allows pilots to safely land an aircraft in all weather conditions, regardless of visibility.

"All six displays were muffled by the instrument approach tool of choice at a true course of 270 degrees and remained empty until another runway was selected[12] said[13] in a report by the US Federal Aviation Administration describing three incidents that occurred while landing a Boeing 737 Next Generation at Barrow Airport (Alaska, USA) in 2019.

While the federal office does not disclose technical details, seven runways are known to have had "latitude and longitude values that triggered display stub mode." It seems that these values ​ ​ somehow caused the interaction of on-board computers, as a result of which information ceased to be displayed on the displays.

The issue affects 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900 and -900ER aircraft models with Common Display System Block Point 15 (CDS BP 15) software and U12 flight control systems.

Parts supplier for Boeing 737 MAX laid off thousands of employees

One of the largest suppliers of parts for the Boeing 737 MAX, Spirit AeroSystems, is temporarily laying off about 2.8 thousand employees due to the suspension of production of this aircraft, according to^[14][15].

"Spirit is resorting to such actions due to the suspension of 737 MAH production and continued uncertainty about the timing of the resumption of production and the level of production when it will be resumed," the statement said.

2019

Aircraft created "clowns under the supervision of monkeys." Scandalous correspondence of employees revealed

In early January 2020, Boeing published documents on the development of software for 737 MAX aircraft, two of which collapsed in November 2018 and March 2019 and claimed the lives of 346 people. Including the scandalous correspondence of employees criticizing the project was published. One Boeing employee, in a discussion of the problems of computer control of the liner, described the project as "developed by clowns under the supervision of monkeys."

Boeing employee calls 737 MAX 'designed by clowns' in correspondence

US lawmakers have accused the company of taking "coordinated action" to cover up criticism of employees over the failure of the 737 MAX aircraft's software and simulators to control the airliner. Correspondence about clowns and monkeys is dated April 2017, when two employees exchanged messages in a chat, expressing concern about defective software.

Some reports show Boeing was trying to avoid costly and lengthy simulator training for pilots before flights. One of the employees asked the other if he would put his relatives on a 737 MAX plane, the pilot of which was trained on such a simulator, and both decide that they would not.^[16]

In addition, the correspondence ridiculed Boeing's interaction with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which was supposed to check and approve the simulator. The message of November 2015 reflects the lobbying methods used in conversations with regulators.

We will probably need support at the highest level when the time comes for final negotiations, "one of the employees noted in the correspondence.

The company sent a copy of the messages - more than 100 pages of documentation - to the relevant committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate of Congress. Boeing said in a statement that the correspondence was "absolutely unacceptable." The company apologized for the "provocative statements" it contained to the regulator, Congress, customers and passengers.

Discontinuation due to defective software

In mid-December 2019, Boeing stopped production of 737 MAX aircraft, which crashed due to defective software and claimed the lives of hundreds of people.

The company believes that the reduction in production will allow it to focus on the delivery of ready-made aircraft.

Boeing stopped production of 737 MAX aircraft, which crashed due to defective software

We believe this solution is the least disruptive to maintaining a long-term production system and supply chain health... We have previously said we will continuously reassess production plans if the MAX flight ban continues longer than we expected, Boeing added.

The corporation stressed that the employees involved in the assembly of the 737 Max airliners are not going to be cut. They will either continue to work on the production of aircraft of this model, or switch to other production.

According to The Wall Street Journal, about 40 737 MAX aircraft were produced every month, and by December 2019 there are 400 more in reserve.

The termination of flights of one of the best-selling Boeing models - the 737 MAX - has already cost the concern $9 billion. But the company continued to assemble aircraft. Against the background of news about the curtailment of production, the company's shares lost 4.5% of their value. At the same time, from the beginning of 2019 to mid-December, the company's quotes rose by 1%, and the market capitalization amounted to about $192.3 billion.

As sources in Russian airlines told Kommersant, stopping the assembly will not lead to the refusal of carriers to operate aircraft of the American manufacturer: in the world only Airbus can compete with Boeing, but orders for aircraft are scheduled for five years in advance.

According to The Wall Street Journal and, Reuters Federal Aviation Administration USA will allow 737 MAX flights to resume no earlier than February 2020.^[17]

Russia filed the world's first lawsuit against Boeing over 737 MAX aircraft with defective software

On August 26, 2019, it became known about the first lawsuit filed by a client with Boeing in connection with the operation of 737 MAX aircraft with defective software, due to which the plane crashes occurred.

This client turned out to be the Russian leasing company Aviakapital-service (AKS; 100% owned by Rostec state corporation), writes the Financial Times (FT), citing a lawsuit sent to the Cook County Court in Chicago.

Rostec structure is ready to resolve the dispute with Boeing out of court

The AKS says that due to accidents and the suspension of 737 MAX 8 flights, the delivery dates of the airliners had to be postponed from October 2019 to March 2022. The company has already paid the advance and is now suffering losses.

The plaintiff demands to terminate the contract for the purchase of 35 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft and pay $115 million in compensation (including $35 million in advance payments and $75 million in lost profits), as well as fines several times higher than compensation.

The lawyer of the Russian company Stephen Marks said that Boeing had already offered compensation to his client, but it was disproportionate. AKS announced its readiness to resolve the dispute with Boeing without a trial.

The AKS claims that two disasters ( in Ethiopia and Indonesia) with the Boeing 737 MAX were caused by "negligent actions and decisions" of the concern, which developed a "defective" airliner and withheld this information from American regulators. According to the plaintiff, information about the flight suitability of the model was deliberately hidden from buyers and pilots.

As noted by the FT, we are talking about the first lawsuit over the cancellation of the order for the 737 Max. Prior to that, several airlines only talked about plans to demand compensation from Boeing for the downtime of their airliners. Among them were Chinese carriers, as well as European Norwegian Airlines. Boeing's report said the company was in talks with its customers and had reserved $4.9 billion to cover potential claims.^[18]

Software for crashed Boeing aircraft was created by Indians

At the end of June 2019, it became known that the software for the crashed Boeing 737 Max aircraft was created by Indian low-skilled programmers. To develop software, the American company used outsourcing services.

According to Bloomberg, citing Boeing employees, due to cost cuts, the company's management fired professionals and hired people in their places without the necessary knowledge and experience in the aerospace industry.

Boeing massively reduced qualified personnel and outsourced to inexperienced engineers, who often worked only $9 an hour

For example, according to former Boeing programmer Mark Rabin, the Indian IT company HCL Technologies, which collaborated with the corporation, hired recent university graduates. Young specialists wrote codes with deviations from the established norms.

According to Rabin, work on the software was slow, as it required many approvals and fixes due to poorly written code.

Employees from Indian companies also helped conduct Boeing flight tests. One former HCL employee wrote about how the infamous 737-Max model did not have enough tests, leading to several plane crashes

The interlocutors of the news agency say that Boeing's decision to attract Indians for work could have other goals in addition to reducing costs. For example, it was this strategy that could bring Boeing a contract from India for the purchase of military and civilian aircraft worth $22 billion, which the Americans received in January 2017.

Boeing assures that the company trusted HCL engineers to develop the MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) system, which is associated with the crashes of JT-610 Lion Air flight near Jakarta in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 near Addis Ababa in March 2019.^[19]

Plane crashes due to lack of simulators for pilots trained only in iPad tablet program

In October 2018 and March 2019, Boeing 737 MAX aircraft crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia, respectively. A total of 346 people died, including citizens. Russia

In March 2019, it became known about the weak training of pilots before the start of control of the Boeing 737 MAX. Instead of expensive simulators, they used only an application in the iPad.

According to The New York Times, the pilots learned about the Boeing 737 MAX in a two-hour training course in Boeing's iPad program, and also used their experience to create a 13-page guide to the differences between this model of the aircraft and its predecessor, including changes in displays and engines. No new software was mentioned in the training materials.

Pilots of crashed Boeing 737 Max learn to fly plane on iPad instead of expensive simulators

In the case of other new airliners, pilots tend to prepare to fly expensive, technically advanced equipment that realistically simulates aircraft control and trains new features.

Representatives of pilot unions from Southwest Airines and American Airlines have repeatedly asked Boeing to create a simulator for the Boeing 737 MAX model, but the company, together with the US Federal Aviation Administration, decided that pilots do not need additional training. They felt that it was enough to inform them about possible problems and how the new software would work.

The fact that the system automatically pushes the nose of the Boeing 737 MAX down under certain circumstances, no one notified the pilots, the newspaper notes.

They were building the plane and still fine-tuning it. Data for creating simulators was not available until the moment when he was already ready to fly, "said Greg Bowen, a spokesman for the Southwest Pilots Association.

2018: Drone punches nose of Boeing 737 coming to land

In December 2018, it became known that a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane owned by Aeromexico suffered damage to the bow during landing at Tijuana Airport in Mexico. The reason for this was a collision with an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Shortly before landing, the crew of a plane flying from Guadalajara to Tijuana heard the sound of a heavy impact and asked the command and control room to check if the nose was damaged, Bloomberg news agency reported. Fortunately, the landing was normal and no one was injured.

In Mexico, a drone crashed into the nose of a passenger plane during landing

After landing, it turned out that the nose of the fuselage was damaged. A preliminary investigation showed a collision with a drone. While the law prohibits drones from flying around airports, huge numbers of small devices are not tracked on radar and drone owners do not know the rules for their use or neglect them.

In November 2017, in Argentina, a Boeing 737-800 collided with a drone while landing at Buenos Aires Airport. The plane was heading from the city of Trelew, in a collision it received minor damage to the bow.

Drone pierces Boeing 737 nose during flight

As of December 17, 2018, the National transport USA Safety Board (FAA) was investigating one confirmed mid-air collision involving a drone. In September 2017, an army helicopter collided with a small device in New York State, but this caused him minor damage.

Then experts concluded that UAVs are capable of causing more damage to aircraft than birds of a similar size, since they contain metal parts. The study showed that significant damage to the windscreens, wings and tail surfaces of aircraft is possible.^[20]

1988: Failure of the roof of a passenger plane during flight

The Aloha Airlines Boeing 737-297 airliner operated domestic flight AQ 243 on the Hilo-Honolulu route, and had 6 crew members and 89 passengers on board. But 23 minutes after takeoff, a significant part of the fuselage structure in the nose suddenly tore off the plane, as a result of which passengers and flight attendants were exposed to an incoming stream of air and oxygen starvation, one flight attendant died. The pilots safely landed the plane at Maui Island's Kahului Airport. 94 people survived, 65 of them were injured.

Breaking the roof of flight 243 is a good example of why you need to be fastened during the entire flight. Boeing 737 accident over Kahului, April 28, 1988.

The final report of the investigation was published on April 14, 1989.

According to the report, the causes of the accident were:

• metal corrosion,
• poor epoxy bond of fuselage parts,
• rivet fatigue,
• damage to the fuselage metal (due to many take-off and landing cycles; the plane made only short flights).

Notes