After two crashes with 346 dead
Boeing test pilot of the 737 Max accused – he faces up to 100 years imprisonment
In the cockpit of a Boeing 737 Max
© Nelson Almeida / AFP
In the case of the total loss of two Boeing 737 Max jets, a former test pilot for the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing was officially accused of fraud by a US federal court. He must now answer in court.
A former test pilot for US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has been charged with his role in the devastating crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX planes. Former chief technical pilot Mark Forkner provided the FAA with “incorrect, inaccurate and incomplete information about a new part of the flight control of the Boeing 737 MAX,” said the US Department of Justice. If convicted, Forkner faces up to 100 years imprisonment.
The 49-year-old Forkner faces a jury in the US state of Texas for fraud. “The Justice Department will not condone fraud – especially in industries where so much is at stake,” said Texas Attorney Chad Meacham.
The 737 MAX was registered in March 2017. Forkner was the direct contact between the aircraft manufacturer and the FAA. According to documents released in early 2020, he had bragged about being able to deceive his FAA colleagues in order to obtain certification for the MCAS stabilization system specially developed for the Boeing 737 MAX.
Forkner had become aware of an issue with the MCAS, according to court documents. In a message to a colleague published in 2019, he said, for example, that the stabilization system made it difficult to fly the aircraft in a simulator. However, he made a conscious decision not to share this information with the FAA, which did not require special training for pilots to use the system.
Worldwide flight ban for the Boeing 737 Max
In October 2018 and March 2019, two machines of the type crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killing a total of 346 people. In both cases, the MCAS had submitted incorrect data. In March 2019, a worldwide flight ban was imposed on the previous bestseller from Boeing, which was only lifted at the end of 2020 after a revision of the system.
Boeing had admitted its responsibility for the crashes earlier this year and accepted a billion-dollar fine to avert criminal proceedings. The company agreed to pay a $ 2.5 billion fine and compensation.
In September, a US judge admitted another lawsuit against the company. The shareholders are suing Boeing’s board of directors for ignoring warnings regarding the MCAS safety system after the first crash.
New problems with the Boeing 787 “Dreamliner”
The series of problems with Boeing’s 787 “Dreamliner” breakdown jet continues. A supplier announced that some 787 components had not been manufactured correctly, the aircraft manufacturer announced on Thursday. At the same time, however, Boeing emphasized that, based on previous knowledge, there were no safety concerns about the currently flying machines. Possible improvements to the 787 fleet will be coordinated with the US aviation authority FAA.
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In its statement, Boeing did not provide any information about which components were affected and which supplier it was concerned with. The “Wall Street Journal” had previously reported that some titanium components were made weaker than intended. Boeing has already replaced them on two machines that have not yet been delivered, it said, citing informed people.
The “Dreamliner”, launched ten years ago as the long-haul jet of the future, has been causing problems for Boeing for a long time. This year the group had to stop deliveries due to production problems and cut production. In July it was said that further inspections and repairs were necessary on a number of 787 planes that have not yet been handed over to customers.
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– 737 Max crashes: “A factory in chaos” – Whistleblower raises serious allegations against Boeing
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