Emergency AD Addresses Faulty Sensors in Boeing 737 Max | Aviation International News

Emergency AD Addresses Faulty Sensors in Boeing 737 Max

The FAA directed operators to revise manuals to include new procedures for reacting to faulty angle-of-attack inputs.

Angle-of-attack sensor faults in the Boeing 737 Max could lead to nose-down trim commands, loss of control, and, ultimately, a crash, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (Photo: Boeing)

By Gregory Polek • Senior Editor

November 7, 2018

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency airworthiness directive Wednesday giving pilots of Boeing 737 Max 8s and Max 9s procedures to follow in the event of runaway horizontal trim caused by faulty angle-of-attack inputs to the airplane’s flight control system. The AD comes a day after Boeing issued an operations manual bulletin in response to investigators’ findings that the Lion Air 737 Max 8 that crashed into the Java Sea on October 29 experienced erroneous input from one of the sensors.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

Become a Member

Already a member? Sign In

District Court Rejects Appeal of GARA-related Lawsuit

Plaintiffs argued that police aircraft are exempt from GARA statute of repose

Helicopter accident flight path

NTSB: Pax Safely Lands King Air after Pilot Collapsed

Pilot died of cardiac arrest during the flight

Teen Driver Breaches Fence, Hits PlaneSense PC-12 at KPSM

Vehicle also struck parked ground-support tractor; there were no injuries

the pilatus PC-12 photographed on a ramp

NBAA Report Flags Powerplant, Collision Risks in Q2 Data

Six fatal accidents resulted in 22 fatalities in the quarter

Remembering a Solemn Anniversary: the Amazon Midair

Twenty years ago, a business jet and commerical airliner collided; the smaller airplane survived

Joe Sharkey with Embraer Legacy 600 involved in collision

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: September 2026

Preliminary and final accident reports, September 2026

rural runway

NTSB Cites Heliport Misidentification in Aug. 2025 Crash

Captain opted out of instrument approach over autopilot concerns

Image courtesy Texas Department of Public Safety

Fire of Unknown Origin Led to 2024 Citation X Accident

NTSB: Ignition source could not be conclusively identified

Number 2 battery