Boeing to Require All 737 Max Pilots to Undergo Simulator Training

A day before another Boeing 737  crash, this time a Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 that crashed shortly after taking off from Iran, Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration began calling on pilots of the aircraft to undergo simulator training. 

That training will be required before a pilot could ever fly the 737 Max again. 

“Safety is Boeing’s top priority," said interim Boeing CEO Greg Smith in a statement on its website 7 January. "Public, customer and stakeholder confidence in the 737 MAX is critically important to us and with that focus Boeing has decided to recommend MAX simulator training combined with computer-based training for all pilots prior to returning the MAX safely to service.”

RELATED: BOEING 737-800 BOUND FOR UKRAINE CRASHES SHORTLY AFTER TAKE-OFF IN IRAN, KILLING ALL ONBOARD

Simulator requirements will be expensive for Boeing 

According to media reports Boeing's move to require simulator training will be expensive for the company and will likely result in a further delay of the 737 Max returning to the skies.

It was grounded last March after two crashes that left a combined 346 people dead. Boeing said at the end of 2019 that it was halting production of the plane for now. 

Other issues with the 737 Max?

The latest crash comes just as reports have surfaced that Boeing identified another issue with the 737 Max while the plane was undergoing an audit by the FAA. It was then that Boeing discovered issues with the wiring that could cause a crash.

According to the New York Times citing a senior Boeing engineer and three others familiar with the matter, Boeing told the FAA it's investigating the proximity of two sections of wires to each other. The wires control the plane's tail and because of how close they are could create a situation in which there is a short circuit. The paper noted it could lead to a crash if the pilots don't react to a short circuit in the correct manner.