Boeing CEO, Dennis Muilenburg said following the release of a preliminary report on the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302 tragic craqsh last month, that it was apparent that a suspect feature called the Manoeuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, known as MCAS, was activated in response to data errors in the system.
“We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost in the recent 737 MAX accidents. These tragedies continue to weigh heavily on our hearts and minds, and we extend our sympathies to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302,” he said.
“All of us feel the immense gravity of these events across our company and recognize the devastation of the families and friends of the loved ones who perished.”
Boeing is relentlessly working to fix the issue, he said, adding “As pilots have told us, erroneous activation of the MCAS function can add to what is already a high workload environment. It’s our responsibility to eliminate this risk”.
The preliminary report suggests that Ethiopian Airlines pilots, who were commanding the flight, followed the procedures recommended by Boeing and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States.
“Despite their hard work and full compliance with the emergency procedures, it was very unfortunate that they could not recover the airplane from the persistence of nose diving,” the Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement.
“As the investigation continues with more detailed analysis, as usual we will continue with our full cooperation with the investigation team” the statement said.
MG/as/APA