US-Flugzeugbauer: Neues Software-Problem bei Boeing 737 Max

Boeing has discovered a new software issue with its widely-used 737 Max model, according to the company. The problem, which can affect some aircraft, causes automated vertical navigation to be unavailable after an aborted landing attempt. Instead, pilots may only be able to access a lower level of automation. Boeing emphasized that pilots are trained to land the aircraft manually if necessary and that the system can be reactivated through a series of steps.

The company is working on a permanent software update to resolve the issue. However, it remains unclear how many of the over 2,000 delivered 737 Max aircraft have the fault. The 737 Max, the model that brought the company to its deepest crisis, was responsible for two fatal crashes in October 2018 and March 2019, killing 346 people.

The root cause of the crashes was an assistance software that was supposed to support pilots but, under certain circumstances, intervened too strongly in the controls. Boeing's employees had claimed that special training for the software was unnecessary during the certification of the 737 Max by US authorities. The company had to suspend production of the 737 Max and it is still reduced.

The 737 Max has often been referred to as a "panning aircraft" after further problems, such as a January 2024 incident where a fuselage component of a nearly new 737 plane broke off during takeoff, raising new doubts about Boeing's quality management. Airlines informed Boeing in August that all airlines with 737 Max aircraft in their fleet were informed about the new software issue, the "Wall Street Journal" reported citing a company document.

The airlines Southwest and United, however, do not want to take any planes with the software fault, according to the newspaper. The US aviation authority FAA is investigating the problem. Boeing was first informed about the fault in November 2024 by the operator of the 737 Max, but at the time it seemed that the problem did not meet the prerequisites for a safety technical check, the newspaper said.

This was only initiated in September. The fault is attributed to a software update, the newspaper wrote. Industry representatives see a potential problem in the extra workload for vertical navigation as an additional burden for pilots during landing approaches.