UK, Australia, others also ground Boeing 737 MAX after crash [Updated]

The first Boeing 737 makes its maiden flight in 1967. [credit:
Boeing ]




[Update, March 12, 9:00am] The civil aviation authorities of the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia have now also grounded 737 MAX aircraft flown by their airlines. The additional groundings account for about 40 percent of all 737 MAX aircraft in service. The United States' Federal Aviation Administration has not yet taken any action, citing the absence of conclusive data on the crash's cause. An investigation is still underway.
Boeing announced late yesterday that a software update would be issued for the 737 MAX's flight controls:
For the past several months and in the aftermath of Lion Air Flight 610, Boeing has been developing a flight control software enhancement for the 737 MAX, designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer. This includes updates to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) flight control law, pilot displays, operation manuals and crew training. The enhanced flight control law incorporates angle of attack (AOA) inputs, limits stabilizer trim commands in response to an erroneous angle of attack reading, and provides a limit to the stabilizer command in order to retain elevator authority.
A Boeing spokesperson said that the FAA was expected to approve and mandate the updates no later than April.
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