FAA Issues Emergency Order For Boeing 737 MAX 8s & 9s

The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued an emergency airworthiness directive to airlines operating Boeing 737 MAX 8s and 9s.

The directive addresses a potential problem where incorrect angle of attack sensor input can cause the flight control system to send commands to the horizontal stabiliser to push the nose down.

The FAA said that if the condition is not addressed, it could cause the flight crew to have difficulty controlling the plane, possibly with significant loss of altitude.

A requirement of the airworthiness directive is for operators of the two 737 models concerned to revise the aircraft’s flight manual to provide the crew with horizontal stabiliser trim procedures to follow under certain conditions.

The emergency directive must be implemented within three days.

The announcement follows analysis that Boeing has done since the crash of Lion Air flight JT610 last week into the sea off Java. The service was operated by a two month old 737 MAX 8. There were no survivors of the 189 people on board the flight.