Boeing has identified a previously undisclosed 737 MAX software issue that could cause an automated navigation feature to fail during landing, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing company documents.
The problem appeared during a cockpit software update and can occur when flight crews change their planned flight path after a missed approach, the report said.
When reached for comment, Boeing said it informed all 737 operators last month of the software issue that prevented pilots from having access to automated flight guidance during a specific landing scenario.
“We have shared information with operators who have strengthened existing pilot procedures to safely handle such cases. Our engineers are working on a software update to permanently resolve the issue,” Boeing said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of a potential problem in a software update to flight computers on some Boeing 737 MAX planes and was working closely with Boeing and the airlines.
“The FAA will convene a corrective action review board and take immediate action if it identifies a safety issue,” the FAA said in a statement.
Boeing has faced regulatory and safety scrutiny in recent years following two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that led to the plane’s global grounding, and after an in-flight cabin panel explosion on a nearly new Alaska Airlines MAX 9.
Southwest Airlines and United Airlines asked Boeing not to deliver new 737 MAX planes equipped with the affected software and instead requested an earlier version, according to the WSJ.
It was not immediately clear how many planes were operating with the faulty software, according to the report. Boeing, airlines and regulators are currently evaluating the issue and determining whether it poses a flight safety concern, the statement added.
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