Boeing chief Dennis Muilenburg.Credit:Bloomberg
In his most extensive comments on the subject to date,Muilenburg acknowledged distinct similarities between the two events,including the implication certain Boeing equipment issues.
Muilenburg recognised the role inboth crashes of a Boeing-approved flight system,called Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System. In certain dangerous situations,MCAS can cause pilots to lose control of an aircraft in response to erroneous data from the plane's external sensors.
His comments followedthe release of the preliminary report about the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed everyone on the flight. Ethiopia's transport minister said the crew had"performed all the procedures,repeatedly,provided by the manufacturer but was not able to control the aircraft."
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As Muilenburg had in the past,he expressed condolences to surviving family members of those killed.
"We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost in the recent 737 MAX accidents,"Muilenburg wrote.
He later wrote:"I cannot remember a more heart-wrenching time in my career with this great company."
Preliminary reports from investigators in Indonesia and Ethiopia indicated that the MCAS had activated in the two flights'final minutes,with pilots struggling to keep the plane level as it pitched inexorably downward.