Boeing’s stall-prevention feature activated in Ethiopian crash: report

Investigators believe a stall-prevention feature on a Boeing 737 Max plane was activated shortly before it crashed in Ethiopia this month, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people briefed on the matter.

One person told the Journal that it was revealed during a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefing that the same system, known as MCAS, likely misfired in both the Ethiopian Airlines crash and October’s Lion Air crash, which also involved a Boeing 737 Max 8.

The FAA and Boeing did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Hill.

{mosads}The initial findings, the first based on data retrieved from the Ethiopian flight’s black boxes, are subject to change, the Journal reported. Ethiopian officials are expected to release a report on the crash soon.

Boeing has reportedly announced plans to change the MCAS system to give pilots more control over it. Vice President of Product Strategy Mike Sinnett said Wednesday that the company has “complete confidence that the changes we’re making would address any of these accidents,” according to the Journal.

President Trump grounded Boeing 737 Max planes after the Ethiopian Airlines crash, which killed 189. The Lion Air crash left 157 people dead.