Ted S. Warren/Associated Press
The cockpit of a Boeing 737 Max.
- The process of approving the Boeing 737 Max to resume making commercial flights in the US has been delayed in part by concerns about the strength required to turn a crank during an emergency, The Wall Street Journal's Andy Pasztor and Andrew Tangel reported.
- The crank reportedly allows a pilot to alter the vertical angle of the plane's nose by changing the direction of a horizontal panel on the tail.
- But there are some situations that could make the process of turning the crank very difficult, according to The Journal.
- There aren't any plans to make changes to the 737 Max or bar some pilots from flying the plane based on those concerns.
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The process of approving the Boeing 737 Max to return to commercial service in the US has been delayed over concerns about the strength required to turn a crank in the cockpit during an emergency, The Wall Street Journal's Andy Pasztor and Andrew Tangel reported on Wednesday.
The crank reportedly allows a pilot to alter the vertical angle of the plane's nose by changing the direction of a horizontal panel on the tail. But there are some situations that could make the process of turning the crank very difficult, which has made the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concerned about whether some pilots would be physically strong enough to handle those situations, according to The Journal.
Despite this, there are no plans to make changes to the 737 Max or bar some pilots from flying the plane based on those concerns, the publication said.
This issue also reportedly affects Boeing's 737 NG aircraft, which was introduced before the 737 Max. Boeing and the FAA have spent weeks analyzing and simulating the issue, according to The Journal.
Boeing and the FAA did not immediately respond to Business Insider's requests for comment.
The 737 Max has been grounded in much of the world since March following two deadly crashes that killed nearly 350 people. Technology designed to prevent the aircraft from stalling has come under scrutiny, as it activated during both crashes due to false sensor readings and pushed the planes downward at too steep of an angle.
On May 16, Boeing finished a software update for the 737 Max that the FAA must approve before the aircraft can resume making commercial flights in the US. An FAA official said earlier this month that the 737 Max will likely return to the skies by December.
Read The Wall Street Journal's full story here »
- Read more:
- The head of a major pilots' union will criticize Boeing's training in front of Congress, calling it the company's 'final fatal mistake' with the 737 Max
- British Airways parent company IAG is buying 200 Boeing 737 Max jets - the first big public order since 2 of the aircraft crashed
- Airbus leapt ahead of Boeing in an untapped market by launching a smaller plane for long-haul flights
- Boeing said it is using the 'lessons' it has learned during the 737 Max crisis to deal with troubles facing another one of its planes
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