SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. aerospace giant Boeing Company said Wednesday that it is confident in the safety of its 737 MAX aircraft despite a deadly air crash of a same-model jet of an Indonesia airline.
Boeing said in a statement that it is working closely with Indonesian authorities in the ongoing investigation into the Oct. 29 crash of Lion Air Flight JT 610 off the coast of Indonesia, which killed 189 people aboard.
"We are taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this accident, working closely with the investigating team and all regulatory authorities involved," said the company.
"We are confident in the safety of the 737 MAX. Safety remains our top priority and is a core value for everyone at Boeing," it stressed.
The U.S. top aircraft manufacturer said it cannot discuss specifics of an ongoing investigation into the Indonesian tragedy, but it has "provided two updates for our operators around the world that re-emphasize existing procedures for these situations."
Boeing issued a safety bulletin for the operators of the 737 MAX aircraft in early November, warning them about potentially erroneous data provided by the flight-control software, which could point to the Lion Air plane that crashed in the Java Sea, Indonesia.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 plane serving Lion Air Flight JT 610 lost contact with air traffic control just 13 minutes after takeoff from Indonesian Capital Jakarta en route to the Indonesian city of Pangkal Pinang.
The Boeing Operations Manual Bulletin issued to 737 Max operators directs them to "existing flight crew procedures" to address circumstances involving erroneous angle-of-attack (AOA) sensor information.
The AOA sensor is a vane installed outside of the aircraft to give pilots a visual reading of the plane's angle between the oncoming air or relative wind and a reference line on the airplane or wing. The AOA information is critical to avoiding the onset of stall conditions.
"Whenever appropriate, Boeing, as part of its usual processes, issues bulletins or makes recommendations regarding the operation of its aircraft," Boeing said.
