List Sent To Both The FAA And Boeing

EASA has sent a letter to the FAA and Boeing outlining five major requirements the agency says need to be addressed before it will allow the Boeing 737 MAX to return to service in Europe.

Bloomberg reports that, according to an unnamed source at the FAA, the issues identified by EASA parallel the FAA's concerns about the airplane. In a statement, the FAA said that the agency "confirm the specific matters being raised by EASA but said: “The FAA continues to work closely with other validating civil aviation authorities on our review of Boeing’s certification documentation for the 737 MAX. This process involves regular communications among all parties" but did not confirm the items specified by EASA.

Boeing said in a statement that the company is continuing to "engage with regulators and are providing information as we work towards the safe return to service for the MAX."

The details of the letter have not been made public, but a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity said that the issues identified by EASA include potential difficulty for pilots to turn the manual trim wheel, the unreliability of the 737 MAX airplane's AOA sensors, and a software issue revealed last week by the FAA. The agency also cited a concern that had not previously been reported involving the failure of the autopilot to disengage in certain emergencies.

EASA also listed several other issues that it has not flagged as "critical", according to the report.

EASA did not specify how it feels Boeing should address the issues identified in the report, but asks the company to propose solutions for evaluation.

Boeing has told its customers and the industry in general that it expects the 737 MAX will be cleared for a return to service by September.

(737 MAX center console image from file)

FMI: Source report