FAA mandates Boeing 737 MAX inspections for key automated flight system

The FAA Wednesday issued a directive for Boeing requiring operators of 737 MAX airplanes to conduct additional inspections for the plane’s automated flight control system. The directive makes mandatory instructions released by Boeing in December that recommend planes with more than 6,000 flight hours be subject to specific electronic checks. MCAS, an automated flight control system on the 737 MAX, was tied to two fatal 737 MAX crashes that led to the plane’s 20-month grounding that was lifted in November. Boeing said it “fully supports the FAA mandate “requiring functional checks at certain intervals to the digital flight control system, stabilizer trim, and the primary and secondary aisle stand stabilizer.” The three repetitive inspections are to be done during existing maintenance programs, the FAA said, “to ensure the continued functioning of certain systems throughout the life of the airplane.”<br/>