FAA Certifies Boeing 737 Max To Fly Despite 'Basic Aerodynamic Problem'

After being grounded for 20 months, the Boeing 737 Max jet has been approved to fly again by the Federal Aviation Administration. Before the jets can take on passengers, airlines must upgrade the flight control software, update the flight manual, and retrain their pilots.

The Max jets were grounded in 2019 after two crashes that killed 346 people. Investigators determined the crashes were caused by flaws with the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, that was designed to push the plane's nose down in certain situations. Officials said that pilots were not adequately trained on using the MCAS software and faulted Boeing and the government agencies for downplaying the issue for years.

It is unclear when the jetliner will start flying again. The jets must be updated with the new software, and the FAA must approve the pilot training procedures for each airline that operates the 737 Max jets.

Last month, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told investors that if the grounding order was lifted in November, the earliest they could start flying the Max jets is late December.

"The path that led us to this point was long and grueling, but we said from the start that we would take the time necessary to get this right," FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson said in a video message. "I am 100 percent comfortable with my family flying on it."

While Dickson has faith in the Max jets, not everybody believes they are safe to fly. According to USA Today, Ralph Nader, a consumer advocate whose 24-year-old niece died in one of the crashes, wrote a letter to Dickson, warning him the plane is "inherently unsafe."

There's no "ignoring the basic aerodynamic problem of the plane's 'quick and dirty' engine position/fuselage mismatch," he wrote, and "human factors and the unstable aerodynamics of the 737 MAX have made it inherently unsafe."

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