A former chief test pilot for Boeing has been charged with allegedly lying to federal authorities about a part of the flight controls on 737 Max airplanes — a model that led to horrific crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed hundreds of people.
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The Justice Department announced the indictment Thursday of Mark A. Forkner, 49, charging that he deceived the Federal Aviation Administration during the agency’s evaluation and certification of the 737 Max airplaine.
Two 737 Max jets crashed in late 2018 and early 2019, killing 346 people and prompting airlines to ground that model of plane while authorities investigated how its computer systems may have led to the fatalities.
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“In an attempt to save Boeing money, Forkner allegedly withheld critical information from regulators,” said Chad E. Meacham, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. “His callous choice to mislead the FAA hampered the agency’s ability to protect the flying public and left pilots in the lurch, lacking information about certain 737 MAX flight controls.”
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The charges against Forkner include two counts of fraud involving aircraft parts in interstate commerce, and four counts of wire fraud. He is due in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday. The most serious charge against him carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
According to the indictment, Forkner led the 737 Max Flight Technical Team, and had a responsibility to provide accurate and complete information to the FAA about differences between that plane and another version of the 737.
In late 2016, federal prosecutors say, Forkner discovered information about an important change made to part of the plane’s flight controls, called Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Forkner allegedly decided not to share the information with the FAA; as a result, authorities say, the manual instructing pilots how to maneuver that model of plane did not contain critical information that was needed to understand the MCAS system.
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On October 29, 2018, a 737 Max operating as Lion Air Flight 610 crashed near Jakarta, Indonesia. While the investigation into the MCAS system was underway, a second 737 Max, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, crashed in that country. The second crash caused officials to ground all such planes while they intensified their investigation.
Kenneth A. Polite Jr., the head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, said in a statement that Forkner “allegedly abused his position of trust by intentionally withholding critical information about MCAS during the FAA evaluation and certification of the 737 MAX and from Boeing’s U.S. based airline customers. In doing so, he deprived airlines and pilots from knowing crucial information about an important part of the airplane’s flight controls.”
This is a developing story. It will be updated.