The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a software glitch in some Boeing 737 MAX jets that can knock out an automated flight guidance system during an aborted landing, the latest quality problem for a plane still rebuilding its reputation. Boeing found the fault itself, disclosed it to operators, and says no crashes or incidents have been linked to it, but the investigation adds scrutiny at a moment when the company is trying to win approval for new aircraft variants.
The glitch emerged from a cockpit software update and can occur when flight crews alter their planned flight path after a missed approach, the scenario pilots call a go-around. In a specific sequence of events, pilots may lose access to automated flight guidance and have to fly the aircraft manually at low altitude, possibly in bad weather, while already working through a demanding checklist. Industry officials who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story on September 26, said the concern is workload rather than an immediate loss of control.
The flaw sits in the flight management computer software, versions 14 and 14.1, according to reporting on the investigation. It affects the navigation feature rather than the flight controls, a distinction that matters given the MAX history. The aircraft was grounded worldwide between 2019 and 2020 after two crashes, Lion Air 610 and Ethiopian Airlines 302, killed 346 people, and both traced to the MCAS flight control system. A door panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 in January 2024, blamed on manufacturing mistakes rather than software, triggered a separate round of oversight and production caps.
Airlines say their fleets are clean
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest and United all told CBS News that none of their in-service 737 MAX aircraft run the software version in question. That limits the immediate operational exposure for the four largest US operators of the type, though it does not cover every carrier worldwide, and Boeing has not said how many aircraft are operating with the flawed software.
Two of those airlines went further. Southwest and United asked Boeing not to deliver new 737 MAX aircraft equipped with the affected software and requested an earlier version instead, according to the Journal. That is an unusual step for customers to take publicly, and it signals how carefully airlines now watch Boeing’s software releases.
Boeing said it informed all 737 operators last month about the issue. Our engineers are working on a software update to permanently address the problem, a company spokesperson told CBS News in a statement. The FAA said it is aware of the potential issue in the flight computer software update and is working closely with Boeing and the airlines.
The FAA is aware of a potential issue in a software update for the flight computers on certain Boeing 737 MAX airplanes and is working closely with Boeing and the airlines.
What it means for Boeing
The timing is awkward. The FAA investigation could affect certification timelines for new MAX variants, including the long-delayed 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10, which Boeing has been trying to clear for years. Any new question about flight computer software gives regulators reason to slow down, and Boeing’s production ramp has been one of its few clear successes this year, with monthly 737 output climbing back toward the FAA-approved ceiling of 38 per month.
Analysts who covered the story were measured. The fault was found by Boeing rather than by a regulator or an accident, it sits in an automated navigation feature rather than flight controls, and a fix is already in the works. Compared with the MCAS era, when Boeing withheld information from regulators and airlines, the company disclosed this issue to operators within a month of identifying it. That is a low bar, but it is a bar the old Boeing failed to clear.
Still, the pattern matters. Boeing has now faced a door plug failure, manufacturing defects found during an FAA audit, a separate 737 rudder issue that drew a directive on potentially jammed controls, and now a software fault, all within roughly two years. Each one individually is manageable. Together they keep the company under a level of scrutiny that competitors do not face, and they give airlines leverage in delivery negotiations that they have not hesitated to use.
The go-around scenario deserves a closer look, because it is one of the hardest moments in flying. A crew abandons a landing at low speed and low altitude, adds full thrust, retracts flaps in stages and climbs away from the runway, all while talking to air traffic control and possibly in cloud. Automating the navigation picture during that climb is exactly what the flight guidance system is for. Losing it does not ground the aircraft, but it hands pilots more raw work at the worst possible moment, which is why industry officials framed the risk as workload rather than control.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Affected software | Flight management computer versions 14 and 14.1 |
| Trigger scenario | Altering flight path after a missed approach, or go-around |
| Effect | Automated flight guidance may disengage, manual flight required |
| US carriers affected | None per Alaska, American, Southwest and United |
| Fix status | Software update in development, operators notified in August |
For travelers, the practical risk appears small. The scenario requires a specific sequence during an already rare event, the major US fleets are not running the affected version, and pilots train for manual flight throughout their careers. The story is less about immediate danger than about whether Boeing’s software processes, like its manufacturing processes before them, can be trusted without external verification.
The FAA has not said how long its investigation will take or whether it will require any immediate actions beyond the notifications Boeing has already issued. Boeing shares traded modestly lower in the sessions after the report first appeared. Airlines, meanwhile, have made their preference clear: no new deliveries on the flawed software version until the permanent fix is ready.