Pilots flagged ‘problems’ on Boeing jets besides 737 Max

Bloomberg

Pilots flying Boeing aircraft in recent years have reported flight-control problems they blamed on malfunctioning software — not on the company’s maligned 737 Max jets, but widely used earlier versions of the plane that are still in the air.
Commercial pilots flying Boeing’s NG, or “Next Generation,” models have registered concerns on a variety of computer problems through the Aviation Safety Reporting System, a database administered by NASA.
In the past three years, pilots on different flights reported a range of issues, including losing airspeed on takeoff in some cases or the plane’s nose pitching downward without their command.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) disclosed that it had identified additional computer problems with the Max, aside from the anti-stall software known as MCAS that has been linked to two fatal nose-dive crashes in recent months. Fixing the newly discovered software glitch could take as long as three months, people familiar with the matter said.
The latest problem could produce an uncommanded dive similar to that experienced with MCAS, according to one person who requested anonymity since they aren’t authorised to speak to the press.
A Boeing spokesperson, when asked if that software is present on planes other than the Max, said the FAA is only requesting a fix on the Max.

‘Don’t Sink’
In October 2018, a captain of an NG aircraft was flying on autopilot when the plane suddenly rolled sharply to the right and then even more strongly to the left, after which it gained speed and then nosed down. The pilots were able to get the plane under control, but reported on ASRS that “this is the fourth write-up of this issue in a few days.”
The NASA-administered database scrubs the reports of identifying details, including names of airlines, pilots and usually the locations.
Software accounts for an increasing share of in-flight incidents, and they’re not limited to Boeing aircraft. The database indicates that its rival, Airbus SE, has had its share of computer problems, too. Asked about pilot reports of software-related problems on Next Generation models, a Boeing spokesperson said, “The safety of the 737 NG is not in question, with its 20-plus years of service and 200 million flight hours.”

Shoehorning Design
One reason glitches are multiplying is that Boeing and Airbus are both trying to shoehorn more complicated digital systems into older designs.
“The 737 is this beautiful aircraft that’s like a classic old Porsche,” said Vance Hilderman, chief executive of AFuzion Inc, a safety consulting firm. The plane still uses cables and hydraulics to move control surfaces yet Boeing is trying to use “these kind of Mercedes functions” to automate some pilot actions, he said.
Hilderman said rigorous safety assessments are even more important because the amount of software code in a typical jetliner has grown 40 percent over the past decade.

Southwest Air extends 737 Max cancellations
Bloomberg

Southwest Airlines will keep the Boeing Co 737 Max out of its flight schedule at least through October 1, a month more than previously planned, as safety regulators debate when the grounded aircraft will be approved to resume operations.
The extension will force the continued cancellation of 150 daily flights, Southwest said in a statement. The Dallas-based carrier, the biggest operator of the Max, made the decision just two weeks after delaying the plane’s expected return to early September from a prior plan of early August.
Southwest is extending the Max’s absence again as the Federal Aviation Administration grapples with a new safety risk on Boeing’s best-selling jet, which was grounded worldwide on March 13 after two fatal crashes in five months.
While the airline said it made the scheduling decision “before any developments of the past few days,” the new problem spurs further uncertainty on when safety regulators will let the single-aisle workhorse return to the skies.