Boeing Works on Software Fix for 737 Flight Guidance Issue

Boeing has identified an issue in its 737 aircraft software that could prevent pilots from accessing automated vertical flight guidance during certain landing scenarios.

The company informed all 737 operators about the issue last month and provided information to reinforce existing pilot procedures for safely handling such situations.

According to Boeing, if a pilot changes the preprogrammed flight path after a missed approach, the aircraft's flight management computer software may cause it to transition from vertical navigation mode to a simpler level of automation for pitch control.

This could require pilots to perform additional procedural steps to use automated vertical navigation on subsequent approaches. However, existing pilot training covers landing an aircraft without the automated system, and Boeing emphasizes that all pilots are trained to safely land an airplane in this scenario.