Boeing Obtains FAA Approval to Conceal MCAS System from Pilot Manuals and Training

Boeing obtained FAA approval to exclude the MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) from pilot manuals, flight crew operations manuals, and all pilot training materials for the 737 MAX. This deliberate concealment meant that pilots flying the aircraft had no knowledge that a powerful automated system could repeatedly override their control inputs and force the nose down based on a single sensor reading. The decision to hide MCAS was driven entirely by Boeing’s contractual requirement to minimize training costs for airline customers.

Boeing had negotiated agreements with major customers, particularly Southwest Airlines, that included million-dollar-per-aircraft penalties if the FAA required simulator training for the MAX. By concealing MCAS and characterizing the MAX as essentially identical to previous 737 models, Boeing could ensure pilots needed only minimal computer-based “differences training” rather than expensive simulator sessions. This financial incentive drove the company to hide safety-critical information from the people whose lives would depend on knowing it.

The FAA approved Boeing’s concealment through the Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program, which allowed Boeing employees acting “on behalf of” the FAA to make certification decisions. These Boeing-employed designees approved excluding MCAS from pilot documentation despite the system’s authority to activate without pilot input, override pilot commands, and activate repeatedly. The FAA’s own safety engineers were not involved in this decision; it was made by Boeing personnel with direct financial interest in minimizing training requirements.

Boeing’s internal test data showed that even experienced Boeing test pilots needed more than 10 seconds to diagnose and respond to uncommanded MCAS activation—far longer than the 4-second response time assumed in certification standards. This data was never shared with the FAA or airline pilots. When MCAS activated on Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018, the pilots had no idea what was happening because Boeing had hidden the system’s existence. They fought the aircraft for 13 minutes before crashing into the Java Sea, killing 189 people.

The concealment of MCAS represented criminal fraud, not merely a regulatory violation. Boeing deliberately withheld safety-critical information from pilots and regulators to protect profit margins. The company knew that revealing MCAS would trigger training requirements that would reduce MAX sales, so it chose to hide a system that could—and did—kill hundreds of people. The FAA’s approval of this concealment demonstrated complete regulatory capture: the agency existed to serve Boeing’s commercial interests, not to ensure aviation safety.