Indonesian authorities have identified a sensor issue with Boeing’s widely flown 737 MAX jetliner after the crash of a Lion Air flight that left 189 people dead, the U.S. plane maker said on Wednesday.
Government investigators believe the aircraft received “erroneous input” from a device that tracks the lift of the plane to avoid stalling, known as the “angle of attack” sensor, the Chicago-based company said in a statement. Boeing issued a directive to 737 MAX jet operators to use “existing flight-crew procedures” in instances when the sensor is providing false readings.
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“The investigation into Lion Air flight 610 is ongoing, and Boeing continues to cooperate fully and provide technical assistance at the request and under the direction of government authorities investigating the accident,” the company wrote.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday gave U.S. airlines that fly the 737 MAX three days to take action to address the issues with the AOA in the flight operations manuals. The directive will impact 45 aircraft between Southwest, American Airlines, and United Airlines.
“We evaluated all the relevant information and determined the unsafe condition described … is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design,” the agency said in a statement. “The FAA continues to work closely with Boeing, and as a part of the investigative team on the Indonesia Lion Air accident, may take further appropriate actions depending on the results of the investigation.”
In some instances, Boeing’s 737 MAX jetliners will automatically attempt to lower the aircraft’s nose if a stall is possible based on readings from the attack sensor, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News. A Boeing spokeswoman declined to provide additional information.
Boeing’s 737 is one of the most popular planes flown today. Through September 2018, the firm received 4,783 orders for the 737 MAX — a more fuel-efficient variant of the popular 737 introduced earlier this decade as jet-fuel prices soared — but had only delivered 219. Lion Air ordered 201 but had received only 13.
