European safety regulators will approve the return to service of the Boeing 737 Max next week
when it publishes its final airworthiness directive (AD) for the ailing jet.
Speaking at a media roundtable today, Patrick Ky, Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), said that once the AD is released, "Max will be allowed to fly again from our point of view ".
However, operators should ensure that relevant modifications to the airplane are made, particularly updates to the flight control system and the controversial Maneuver Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) software, as well as as wiring modifications.
In addition, pilots should undergo training to become familiar with MCAS and its possible failures, Ky added.
MCAS was a significant contributor to the two fatal 737 Max crashes after it was mistakenly activated - triggered by a faulty angle of attack (AoA) sensor - and repeatedly pushed the nose of the aircraft up to what his crew is losing control. A total of 346 people died in crashes in October 2018 and at Mach 2019.
EASA released its draft CN in November, with comments being closed at year's end. Changes to this version have mostly focused on sentences, rather than introducing new terms, Ky said.
He stressed that in order to recover Max's certificate, the agency must ensure that four conditions are met: that the causes of the two accidents are well understood; that the factors which led to the accident have been resolved; that certain “essential safety components” not previously specified have been approved by EASA; and that pilots are properly informed and trained “on the Max and all changes and modifications that have been made”.
“We believe that the four preconditions are met,” Ky said. Max has landed in Europe since March 2019.
Although EASA identifies "critical safety components" that "are not considered part of the first certification", EASA does not blame the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 's lack of "transparency" for this. surveillance.
On the flip side, Ky said, "the way we are regulated means we have no information." This has led the agency to change its approach to certification in the future, he said.
He said the main difference in the 737 Max's recertification requirements between Europe - and Canada - and the United States, was the ability to disable the drummer alert if pilots believed they understood the cause of the sensor angle of attack (AoA) failure.
Otherwise, he said, the crew would have to perform the remainder of the flight "with sticks that kicked for an hour or two."
Although the mandate to equip the Max with a third AoA sensor was considered, Ky said it was on a discount after consulting with Boeing and the FAA.
“The general architecture or design of this aircraft dates from the 1970s, so it is not easy to add new electronic components or sensors in such an architecture,” he said.
Attaching a third sensor to the plane "will be very difficult," he said.
As a compromise, Boeing will develop a "synthetic sensor" that will calculate the true AoA figure in case of disagreement between the two external probes.
It will debut on the 737 Max 10 from 2022 and will then be adapted to the in-service fleet.
The safety of the system has been reviewed by EASA test pilots and human factors specialists, as well as "normal airline pilots," Ky said.
European carriers taking delivery of the 737 Max prior to landing include Icelandair, LOT, Norwegian, SmartWings and TUI.
Meanwhile, EASA is working on the high density Max 8-200 certification ordered by Irish airline Ryanair.
Approvals are due "in the coming weeks," Ky said, leaving for operations over the summer.
Comments