Boeing discovers two new flaws in the flight control software of 737 MAX

New issues won't affect the plane's planned return to service by mid-year, the company says

Boeing is addressing two new software issues discovered in its 737 MAX's flight control computer, as the company works to achieve necessary approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to return its troubled 737 MAX to skies by mid-2020.

The company told Reuters on Tuesday that the new flaws are not expected to affect the plane's planned return to service by the middle of this year.

One of the software issues involves hypothetical faults in the microprocessor of the flight control computer and could potentially result in the pilot losing control during flight. Because of this issue, the plane could potentially climb or dive on its own, according to Boeing.

The second issue in the flight control computer could potentially lead to disengagement of the autopilot system as the plane prepares to make a landing.

Neither issue has been observed in flight, Boeing said, but the software update will completely eliminate the possibility of their occurrence.

According to Reuters, the FAA is in regular contact with Boeing about the issues. The FAA told Reuters that Boeing must demonstrate compliance with certification standards before 737 MAX is allowed to resume normal operations.

The aircraft was grounded in March 2019 following two fatal crashes in a period of five months, which killed 346 people.

Since that time, Boeing has been working to address a number of software issues involving the plane. In January, the company said that it had found a software problem relating to a power-up monitoring function.

The next month, it disclosed details of an indicator light issue, which also needed a software update.

In March, Boeing said it would separate 737 MAX wiring bundles that were flagged as potentially dangerous by the FAA. The issue could potentially cause a short circuit on 737 Max, the FAA said.

The on-going coronavirus pandemic has also complicated matters for the company, which was previously confident of hitting the goal of completing a test flight in April.

The AFP News Service reported Tuesday that 737 MAX's planned test flight has now been delayed until May.

To make the things worse for Boeing, aircraft leasing company Avolon announced last week that it had cancelled orders for seventy-five 737 MAX planes due to financial weakness in the airline sector.

The company said it was also delaying the delivery on an additional 16 airframes from Boeing.