--- title: "Boeing’s Jet That Kept Crashing Is Now Cleared to Fly Again" description: "The Federal Aviation Administration just cleared the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to fly after the plane was involved in two crashes resulting in 346 deaths." date: "2020-11-18" modified: "2020-11-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/boeing-737-max-cleared" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Boeing" - "Space" tags: - "737 max" - "boeing" - "the digest" --- # Boeing’s Jet That Kept Crashing Is Now Cleared to Fly Again ![The Federal Aviation Administration just cleared the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to fly after the plane was involved in two crashes resulting in 346 deaths.]() *\Image: AVWeb\* ## Ungrounded The Federal Aviation Administration [just cleared]() the troubled Boeing 737 MAX jetliner to fly after the plane was involved in a pair of deadly crashes resulting in the deaths of 346 people. Lion Air Flight 610 [crashed]() in October 2018, killing all 189 people on board. A second Boeing MAX plane, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, [crashed]() on March 10 of the same year, killing 157. The model was [grounded]() on March 13, 2019, three days after the Ethiopian Airlines crash. Boeing eventually [halted production]() of the jet in January 2020. And now the dubious jet is back in the skies. ## Correcting Pitch In March 2019, [reports suggested]() the airliner's Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which automatically corrects the horizontal pitch of the plane relative to the oncoming wind, was to blame. The feature was essentially hidden from pilots instead of retraining them on how to actually use it, [*The Verge* reports](). The erratic feature caused panic right before both crashes. Pilots were frantically [leafing through the plane's handbook]() prior to the Lion Air crash. ## Awkward Timing It's an awkward time to clear a passenger aircraft for flight. The ongoing global pandemic has slowed air travel down to a crawl, with major airliners around the globe facing massive losses. Boeing wasn't immune to the pandemic either. The company had to [lay off 7,000 workers]() in October in light of revenues plunging to historic lows. **READ MORE:** [Boeing 737 Max cleared to fly after deadly crashes forced a two-year ban]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on the 737 MAX**: *[FAA Warns That After Pandemic, Long-Grounded Jets Could Experience Engine Failure]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()