CEO Dennis Muilenburg Defends Company's Actions In Internal Message

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg says that accusations that the company "intentionally withheld" information concerning the 737 MAX Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) from operators are "simply untrue."

The Air Current reports that Muilenburg said in an internal company communication that "The relevant function [of MCAS] is described in the Flight Crew Operations Manual, and we routinely engage with customers about how to operate our airplanes safely."

The statement directly contradicts an assertion made by the company's largest 737 MAX customer, Southwest Airlines. Capt. Todd Insler, chair of the United Airlines pilots union, said that the investigation should focus on the actions of the Lion Air Pilot's reaction to any abnormal operation of the aircraft.

Muilenburg said that there are still many questions to be answered about the investigation into the Lion Air accident, which investigators say may be connected to incorrect angle-of-attack data being provided to the flight computer, commanding a steep nose-down attitude from which the pilots could not recover.

The Boeing CEO said that no matter what the investigation uncovers, the company would "learn from this accident and continue to improve our safety record. However, we will hot share or debate details in the media. It's not appropriate and would violate the integrity of the investigation.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report