Boeing's woes have apparently grown as the company has reportedly discovered another problem with its troubled 737 Max 8 that could lead the plane to crash if pilots do not respond correctly, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
The design flaw was uncovered after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration requested that Boeing conduct an internal audit in December to determine whether the company had accurately assessed the dangers associated with key systems on the aircraft given new data on how long it could take pilots to respond to an emergency. Among the more pressing issues discovered by the audit were concerns about two bundles of wires that control the tail of the Max-8 jets and whether the bundles could be too close together, which could cause a short circuit.
Boeing says they're still trying to determine whether that scenario could in fact happen. Engineers say the fix for the issue is a simple one, requiring a clamp that would separate the wiring bundles on the Max.
"Our highest priority is ensuring the 737 MAX meets all safety and regulatory requirements before it returns to service. We are working closely with the FAA and other regulators on a robust and thorough certification process to ensure a safe and compliant design," Boeing said in a statement to Business Insider. "We identified this issue as part of that rigorous process, and we are working with the FAA to perform the appropriate analysis. It would be premature to speculate as to whether this analysis will lead to any design changes."
Boeing has struggled to re-certify the Max 8 jets after two crashes that killed 346 people. The aerospace company has focused on the plane's new Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which was blamed for the crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March and Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018. The company suspended production of the Max 8 in December in light of several setbacks to Boeing's efforts to re-certify the plane.
The Max 8 planes aren't expected to begin flying again until spring 2020 at the earliest.
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