Boeing documents show grim picture on 737 MAX issue: Officials

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing furnished new documents based on the 737 MAX to the regulators and investigators just hours after the company made an announcement that Dennis Muilenburg was stepping down from the position of the CEO. According to reports, the documents were provided to the authorities just a day before Christmas when most officials were on holiday. The documents appeared to paint a grim picture about Boeing's stance on the safety issue in relation to the 737 MAX aeroplane.

A difficult time for Boeing

While talking to an international media outlet, a congressional aide said that the documents were sent by Boeing on the evening of December 23 to the authorities investigating the problem with the aircraft, which has been grounded following two Boeing 737MAX crashes in which Lion Air Flight 360 crashed off the coast of Indonesia, claiming the lives of 189 people and Ethiopian Airlines 302 crash claimed the lives of 157 people 7 months later.

According to reports, the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) confirmed that they had received documents just a few hours after Muilenburg was dismissed as the CEO based on accusations of properly handling the 737 MAX aircraft issue. A representative of the company said that they had been in touch with the FAA and the congress in order to maintain their commitment towards transparency. The spokesperson said that the previous documents alongside the content of these modes of communication do not reflect the image of the company.

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'Change in leadership was necessary'

Boeing fired its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dennis Muilenburg, in an apparent attempt to restore the confidence of the public and the regulators amid the ongoing crisis. Muilenburg had worked for Boeing for more than three decades but the flawed 737 Max aeroplane tightened the scrutiny by the Federal Aviation Administration which forced the company to let go its 55-year-old CEO.

"The Board of Directors decided that a change in leadership was necessary to restore confidence in the Company moving forward as it works to repair relationships with regulators, customers, and all other stakeholders,” said the company in a statement as it faces multiple lawsuits brought by the families of victims died in the crashes. “Under the Company's new leadership, Boeing will operate with a renewed commitment to full transparency, including effective and proactive communication with the FAA, other global regulators and its customers," it added.

In September, Federal safety investigators said that Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration misjudged how pilots would respond to a flurry of alarms and alerts in case of encountering trouble while flying 737 MAX. After two MAX 8 aircraft crashed, claiming 346 lives, Boeing 737 MAX was grounded around the world. The report was prepared by an independent government agency, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

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(With inputs from agencies)