======= 737 ======= See also [[Transportation:Transportation]], [[Transportation:Aircraft]] Created Friday 14 October 2021 ====== Articles ====== == Former Boeing 737 MAX Chief Technical Pilot Indicted for Fraud == Thursday, October 14, 2021 - Department of Justice A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas returned an indictment today charging a former Chief Technical Pilot for Boeing with deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aircraft Evaluation Group in connection with their evaluation of Boeing’s 737 MAX airplane, and scheming to defraud Boeing’s U.S. based airline customers to obtain tens of millions of dollars for Boeing. According to court documents, Mark A. Forkner, 49, formerly of Washington State and currently of Keller, Texas, allegedly deceived the FAA AEG during the agency’s evaluation and certification of Boeing’s 737 MAX airplane. As alleged in the indictment, Forkner provided the agency with materially false, inaccurate, and incomplete information about a new part of the flight controls for the Boeing 737 MAX called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Because of his alleged deception, a key document published by the FAA AEG lacked any reference to MCAS. In turn, airplane manuals and pilot-training materials for U.S.-based airlines lacked any reference to MCAS — and Boeing’s U.S.-based airline customers were deprived of important information when making and finalizing their decisions to pay Boeing tens of millions of dollars for 737 MAX airplanes. “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,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “In doing so, he deprived airlines and pilots from knowing crucial information about an important part of the airplane’s flight controls. Regulators like the FAA serve a vital function to ensure the safety of the flying public. To anyone contemplating criminally impeding a regulator’s function, this indictment makes clear that the Justice Department will pursue the facts and hold you accountable.” https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/former-boeing-737-max-chief-technical-pilot-indicted-fraud == Former Boeing 737 MAX Chief Technical Pilot Indicted For Fraud == Posted by BeauHD on Friday October 15, 2021 06:25PM Mark Forkner, Boeing's 737 Max chief technical pilot during the aircraft's development, has been charged with misleading aviation regulators about safety issues blamed for two fatal crashes of the 737 Max. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, "he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count of wire fraud and 10 years in prison on each count of fraud involving aircraft parts in interstate commerce." Slashdot reader McGruber shares an excerpt from the press release:
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas returned an indictment charging Mark A. Forkner, former Chief Technical Pilot for The Boeing Company (Boeing), with deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration's Aircraft Evaluation Group (FAA AEG) in connection with the FAA AEG's evaluation of Boeing's 737 MAX airplane, and scheming to defraud Boeing's U.S.based airline customers to obtain tens of millions of dollars for Boeing.
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/21/10/15/2243234/former-boeing-737-max-chief-technical-pilot-indicted-for-fraud == Former Boeing chief technical pilot involved in 737 Max testing charged with fraud == He allegedly withheld information that could've prevented the 737 Max crashes a few years ago. Mariella Moon - October 15th, 2021 Mark A. Forkner, Boeing's former chief technical pilot involved in the company's 737 Max testing, was indicted for fraud by a grand jury in Texas. Due to his position with the company, he was in charge of coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration to determine the kind of training a pilot needs to fly a particular plane. The indictment accuses him of deceiving the agency's Aircraft Evaluation Group (FAA AEG) when it evaluated and certified the 737 Max model. If you'll recall, two 737 Max planes crashed within months of each other in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people. Forkner allegedly provided the FAA with "materially false, inaccurate, and incomplete information about a new part of the flight controls for the Boeing 737 MAX called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS)." In both crashes, the AEG determined after an investigation that MCAS, a system designed to push the plane's nose down in certain situations, activated during the flight. The planes that crashed — Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 — nosedived almost as soon as they took off. https://www.engadget.com/boeing-chief-technical-pilot-737-max-fraud-charge-052259455.html == Former Boeing Manager Indicted for Lying to FAA About 737 Max Plane Before Crashes == The Boeing manager allegedly learned about problems with the 737 Max a year before the first crash. Matt Novak - 15 October 2021 6:00AM A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas has indicted Boeing’s former chief technical pilot for allegedly lying to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aircraft Evaluation Group (FAA AEG) about Boeing’s 737 Max airplane, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice. All 737 Max planes around the world were grounded in 2019 after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people and subsequent investigations found a change in the automation controls was largely to blame. Mark A. Forkner, who now lives in Texas, allegedly provided false and incomplete information about the Boeing 737 Max and its new Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) starting in late 2016 until he left the company in the summer of 2018. The MCAS would incorrectly read that a plane was about to stall out and try to correct the nose of the aircraft by pushing it down. Pilots were unable to correct the faulty reading, leading to the two horrific crashes. https://gizmodo.com/former-boeing-manager-indicted-for-lying-to-faa-about-7-1847869728 == Boeing 737 Max chief technical pilot charged with deceiving US aviation regulators over MCAS == He hasn't got $2.5bn to hand to the DoJ, unlike his bosses Gareth Corfield Fri 15 Oct 2021 // 16:29 UTC A Boeing 737 Max test pilot has been charged with obstructing US aviation safety regulators, according to the US Department of Justice, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Former 737 Max chief technical pilot Mark Forkner, 49, of Texas, has been charged with "deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration's Aircraft Evaluation Group" (AEG) and committing fraud by misleading Boeing's airline customers into believing the 737 Max was a safe aircraft. "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 US-based airline customers," said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A Polite Jr of the Justice Department's Criminal Division in a statement. https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/15/boeing_737_max_tech_pilot_charged_mcas/