The malfunction of the anti-fouling system of the aircraft is considered to have led to two plane crashes that killed nearly 350 people.
Stateside the former test pilot of the aircraft manufacturer Boeing has been charged with misleading the aviation authority in connection with the certification of Boeing’s infamous 737 Max aircraft type.
The Ministry of Justice said in its bulletin the test pilot has provided incorrect, inaccurate and incomplete information to the Authority regarding a new part of the air traffic control system. The same part is believed to have been behind two serious plane crashes.
In 2018 and 2019, 737 Max aircraft were involved in plane crashes that killed nearly 350 people.
The accused was the main liaison between Boeing and the U.S. Civil Aviation Authority (FAA) on how pilots should be trained to fly those aircraft.
According to court documents, the accused had learned in 2016 that a significant change had been made to the MCAS anti-seize system for the machines. However, he is thought to have deliberately failed to report the matter to the FAA.
As he did not inform the FAA of the change to the system, the agency also did not refer to the system in its own important document. The issue was also not raised in connection with the training of pilots.
According to the researchers, the main reason for the machines falling was precisely the malfunction of the MCAS system.
Same the test pilot is also accused of plotting against Boeing customers who bought aircraft-type machines, among other things, because he is thought to have obscured vital information from them.
According to documents released in early 2020, he had boasted that he could trick his FAA contacts into obtaining permission for the MCAS system.
737 Max received official certification in March 2017. The aircraft-type aircraft were banned from flying for more than 1.5 years after catastrophic plane crashes. The aircraft were allowed to return to air traffic in late 2020, after the MCAS system software had been modified.
The charges were decided on Thursday by a large federal jury in Texas that is prosecuting. The test pilot received a total of six fraud charges. If he is found guilty of suspected crimes, he could face up to a hundred years in prison.
Boeing has previously acknowledged its responsibility to mislead the authorities and has agreed to pay more than $ 2.5 billion to settle lawsuits.
Boeing has not responded to AFP’s request for comment following allegations received by the test pilot.
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