Boeing has outlined some of the changes it is developing for the 737 Max ahead of the formal disclosure of investigators' final report on the crash of Lion Air flight 610.
These changes include a new way for the aircraft's angle-of-attack sensors to interact with the jet's Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a system implicated in both the crash of the Lion Air flight on 29 October last year, and that of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 on 10 March this year.
The two accidents claimed the lives of 346 passengers and crew, and led to the global grounding of the 737 Max fleet.
"Over the past several months Boeing has been making changes to the 737 Max," says the company.
"Going forward, MCAS will compare information from both [angle-of-attack] sensors before activating, adding a new layer of protection."
MCAS will also only activate if both sensors agree, and only activate once if erroneous angle-of-attack data is encountered. In addition, says Boeing, it will "always be subject to a maximum limit" which can be overridden with the control column.
"These software changes will prevent the flight control conditions that occurred in [the Lion Air] accident from ever happening again," the airframer adds.
"In addition, Boeing is updating crew manuals and pilot training, designed to ensure every pilot has all of the information they need to fly the 737 Max safely."
Several media outlets have cited leaked versions of the National Transportation Safety Council final report into Lion Air 610, ahead of its official publication.
The report is said to attribute significant responsibility to MCAS, but also raises issues with Lion's safety culture, which allowed an unserviceable aircraft to fly, and the performance of the pilot and first officer.
“We commend Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee for its extensive efforts to determine the facts of this accident, the contributing factors to its cause and recommendations aimed toward our common goal that this never happens again," says Boeing.
Boeing is working with the US FAA and other global regulators to return the 737 Max to service.
