US FAA requires key flight control changes to be deemed 'major'

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it had adopted a new aircraft certification policy requiring key flight control design changes to be considered "major" like the system involved in two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.

In late 2020, Congress passed sweeping legislation to reform how the FAA certifies new airplanes, including requiring manufacturers to disclose to the FAA certain safety-critical information, including information on systems that manipulate flight controls without direct pilot input or commands. Boeing did not disclose key details to the FAA of a safety system called MCAS, which was linked to both fatal crashes and designed to help counter a tendency of the MAX to pitch up.