By Katie T.

  After the fatal crash on March 10, Boeing 737 Max 8 around the world have been grounded until a thorough software upgrade can be done.

 According to BBC news, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has declared that the planes will not take flight ‘at least until May,’ and a software update will be installed and tested. This upgrade had been promised in 2018, so lots of confusion has risen due to its delay.

  This is the second crash within six months associated with the 737 Max. The first accident occurred in October, killing all 189 people. The second crash, in Ethiopia, suffered 157 casualties.

 BBC continued to explain that the cockpit recorder showed that the diving angle was “very, very similar” to the landing angle of the collision that occurred in Jakarta. This seems to be a reoccurring fault in the jets system. In both circumstances, the pilot reported control problems within minutes of take-off.  

  Since the crash, Boeing has lost $25 billion in market share as their stock dropped by 10%.

The company has been suffering a severe decrease in income as their flights are rejected.

 Many have wondered how competent the pilots flying the 737 Max Aircraft were. According to the New York Times, the American Airlines pilots watched a 56-minute iPad video and about 12 papers on the variations between the previous 737 planes and the current Max Aircrafts. Overall, the qualifying training took a mere three hours!

  Since then, pilots have demanded further information on the plane which Boeing has provided. However, the company has yet to update the manual with further explanations on the Aircraft’s inner workings.

  At the time of the crash, about 370 Max Aircraft were being used along with another 5,000 already ordered. Even though the Jets are currently grounded, more are still under operation for future flight.

  There has been confusion as to who will go through with the official investigation. Both the United States and Britain have qualifying agencies for plane crash investigations, however they were not put on the case. Reuters reports that the country originally chose to conduct the examination because Ethiopian Airlines were unsatisfied as to how the Paris-run organization was completed involving a collision in Lebanon.

 Reuters reveals that the Dennis Muilenburg, the Chief Executive of Boeing, stated that the business was completing the long-awaited software update and proper training for the pilots which “will address the MCAS flight control law’s behavior in response to erroneous sensor inputs.”

  To summarize, the Boeing 737 Max Aircraft was underdeveloped and not equipped to fly in its past condition. Hopefully, with the software upgrade and new training for the American Airlines pilots, the plane will be in the air soon.