Boeing Employee Messages Investigated on 737 Max Certification

Boeing has shared messages exchanged between its employees in the months leading up to 2018 Boeing 737 MAX crashes with the investigators, some of which relates to development and qualification of MAX simulators.

“In December, Boeing proactively brought these communications to the FAA’s attention in furtherance of the company’s commitment to transparency with our regulator and strong safety oversight of our industry,” the company said in a statement Thursday.

The company has provided copies of the same to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in recognition of their oversight functions. 

Some of these communications relate to the development and qualification of Boeing’s MAX simulators in 2017 and 2018. “These communications contain provocative language, and, in certain instances, raise questions about Boeing’s interactions with the FAA in connection with the simulator qualification process,” Boeing said.

The manufacturer goes on to add that the communications occurred early in the service life of the simulators. Over twenty regulatory qualifications of MAX simulators were performed by the FAA and multiple international regulators thereafter. “The specific Miami simulator that was used for the early qualification tests has been re-evaluated six times during this time period. The simulator software has been constantly improving during this time, through repeated cycles of testing, qualification, and revision of the software code.”