US FAA says Boeing 737 MAX software glitch poses no safety issue

FILE PHOTO: A Boeing worker passes by a 737 MAX airplane on the final assembly production line during a media tour of the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, U.S., April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Genna Martin/File Photo

WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (Reuters) - ⁠The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that a panel of experts had determined a software glitch in some ⁠Boeing 737 MAX flight computers poses no safety concern, clearing the way for approval of the best-selling narrow-body ‌jet's largest variant.

The decision removes a late obstacle to certification of the 737 MAX 10, which has been delayed for years. It should also ease concerns at airlines that fly the MAX 7, which uses the same software and was certified by the FAA in August.

The FAA said the determination by the Corrective Action ​Review Board that met in Seattle on Friday was based on the fact ⁠that "pilots retain full control of the aircraft and the ⁠indications to the flight crew are clear and unambiguous."

This week, the FAA said it was delaying certification of the MAX 10 ⁠until ‌it completed an analysis ofthe software issue, which could prevent pilots fromaccessing automated flight guidance during an unusual landing scenario.

Senior officials at the US regulator were alerted to it in August, nearly two years after Canadian carrier WestJet first flagged the ⁠issue to Boeing.

WestJet discovered the anomaly during an entry-into-service test flight, the airline ​said on Friday in a staff memo ‌seen by Reuters. It said the vertical navigation mode, which automates a plane’s vertical flight path, disengaged during approach.

WestJet, ⁠which expects to take ​the MAX 10 early next year, uses the affected software, U14.1, on its MAX jets.

“WestJet has received no reports of this condition occurring during normal line operations,” the memo said. “Very few occurrences have been reported by other operators using U14 or U14.1 because the condition requires a specific sequence ⁠of events.”

Boeing said it "will continue to follow the lead of the FAA as ​our engineers work on the next software update." Boeing added it was working with airlines to formalize a procedure that will allow pilots "to re-enable automated vertical navigation should this situation occur."

The FAA had said the latest software version can increase pilot workload during a go-around, a ⁠situation in which a pilot aborts a landing attempt, applies power, and climbs to make another landing attempt.

Major US airlines had opted to use an earlier version of the software while the analysis was underway.

Aviation officials now believe the MAX 10 could be certified as soon as later this month, in line with earlier expectations. The issue could also have affected Southwest Airlines because the same ​software is used on the newly certified MAX 7 airplane.

Other large airlines, including Alaska Airlines and ⁠United Airlines, that have ordered the MAX 10 could also have been impacted by a lengthy delay.

Jefferies said in a research note the ​decision allows the MAX 10 to be certified before the end of the ‌year and estimated Boeing has nearly 1,500 MAX 10s on order ​from airlines.

An FAA official said it would issue a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin to US airlines and foreign regulators to ensure they’re aware of Boeing’s bulletin.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Allison Lampert; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and David Gregorio)

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资料照片：2026年4月15日，在美国华盛顿州伦顿市的波音工厂，一名波音工人在媒体参观期间走过总装生产线上的737 MAX飞机。路透社/Genna Martin/资料照片

华盛顿，10 月 2 日（路透社）——美国联邦航空管理局周五表示，一个专家小组已确定波音 737 MAX 部分飞行计算机的软件故障不会造成安全隐患，从而为批准这款最畅销的窄体喷气式飞机的最大型号扫清了障碍。

这项决定扫清了737 MAX 10认证道路上的一个最后障碍，该认证已被延误多年。同时，这也应该能缓解运营MAX 7的航空公司的担忧，因为MAX 7使用相同的软件，并已于8月获得美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）的认证。

美国联邦航空管理局表示，周五在西雅图召开的纠正措施审查委员会的决定是基于以下事实：“飞行员对飞机保持完全控制，并且向机组人员发出的指示清晰明确。”

本周，美国联邦航空管理局表示，将推迟MAX 10的认证，直到完成对软件问题的分析。该软件问题可能导致飞行员在不寻常的着陆情况下无法使用自动飞行引导。

美国监管机构的高级官员在 8 月份就已获悉此事，而在此近两年前，加拿大航空公司西捷航空首次向波音公司提出了这个问题。

西捷航空周五在一份员工备忘录中表示，该公司在一次投入运营的试飞中发现了这一异常情况。路透社看到了这份备忘录。备忘录称，垂直导航模式（用于自动控制飞机的垂直飞行路径）在进近过程中失效。

预计明年年初接收 MAX 10 的西捷航空，在其 MAX 飞机上使用受影响的软件 U14.1。

备忘录称：“西捷航空尚未收到任何关于正常航线运营期间出现此情况的报告。其他使用U14或U14.1的运营商也极少报告此类情况，因为这种情况需要特定的事件顺序才能发生。”

波音公司表示，“在工程师开发下一阶段软件更新的过程中，我们将继续遵循美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）的指导。”波音公司还补充说，他们正在与航空公司合作，制定一套正式的程序，以便飞行员“在发生这种情况时重新启用自动垂直导航系统”。

美国联邦航空管理局曾表示，最新软件版本可能会增加飞行员在复飞过程中的工作量。复飞是指飞行员中止着陆尝试，加大油门，爬升以进行另一次着陆尝试。

在分析进行期间，美国主要航空公司选择使用该软件的早期版本。

航空官员现在认为，MAX 10 最早可能在本月晚些时候获得认证，与之前的预期一致。由于新近获得认证的 MAX 7 飞机也使用了相同的软件，因此该问题也可能影响到西南航空公司。

包括阿拉斯加航空公司和联合航空公司在内的其他订购了 MAX 10 的大型航空公司也可能受到了长时间延误的影响。

杰富瑞在一份研究报告中表示，该决定使得 MAX 10 能够在年底前获得认证，并估计波音公司已收到航空公司近 1500 架 MAX 10 的订单。

美国联邦航空管理局一位官员表示，将向美国航空公司和外国监管机构发布一份特别适航信息公告，以确保他们了解波音公司的公告。

（David Shepardson 和 Allison Lampert 报道；Sanjeev Miglani 和 David Gregorio 编辑）

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