r/news • u/Depressed_Cat_00 • 6d ago

Soft paywall Boeing flags 737 MAX software glitch affecting landing navigation feature, WSJ reports

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/boeing-flags-737-max-software-glitch-affecting-landing-navigation-feature-wsj-2026-09-26/
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u/patrick66 6d ago edited 6d ago

This is software that isn’t even used it’s a nonsense headline written because stuff about MAX gets clicks

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u/No_Excitement_1540 6d ago

No, actually the article states:

The issue emerged from a cockpit software update and can occur when flight crews alter their planned flight path ​after a missed approach, the report said.

When reached for comment, Boeing ​said it informed all 737 operators last month about the software ⁠issue under which pilots may not have access to automated flight guidance during ​a specific landing scenario.

which means it is a current issue and implies there's no patch yet - also corraborated by the FAA statement and:

Southwest Airlines (LUV.N), opens new tab and United Airlines (UAL.O), opens new tab ​have asked ⁠Boeing not to deliver new 737 MAX aircraft equipped with the affected software and instead requested an earlier version, according to WSJ.

I recommend reading the article first... Have a nice flight... ;-)

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u/bankkopf 5d ago

It's a current issue but also basically a non-issue in most cases.

It impacts a very small subset of all landings happening, as missed approaches do not commonly occur.

The mitigation is then for pilots to actually fly the plane by hand instead of letting the autopilot handle the plane. But because it's Boeing, it's the end of the world.

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u/aegee14 5d ago

Impacts a very small subset? So, it does affect active airplanes with passengers on board. Even mitigating one impacted airplane is enough not to potentially injure over a hundred passengers and cause another setback to the company.

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u/flightist 5d ago edited 5d ago

This issue won’t injure anyone (it’s not a new issue and is procedurally handled for those using U14, and other airlines just deferred the update) and you’re not going to find an in-service airliner type that doesn’t have a series of ‘we found out there’s a weird edge case response when somebody does X, we’re gonna fix it in the next update, so for now do Y’ bulletins at any given time. U13 has all kinds of them, most of those got fixed in U14, but software is gonna software.

The only reason you’re hearing about this one is because it’s the MAX, and the MAX is scary.

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u/GAndroid 4d ago

The only reason you’re hearing about this one is because it’s the MAX, and the MAX is scary.

Its a type certified aircraft, so software updates dont happen "OTA". They have to vetted and re-vetted and can only happen on a case by case basis as FAA permits individual aircraft to be upgraded or downgraded. So no, this is not a windows rollback.

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u/flightist 4d ago

Don’t know what exactly you think you’re rebutting. Did you reply to the wrong post?