Boeing to 'carefully review' Ethiopian investigation report over crash

SAN FRANCISCO -- Boeing said Thursday that it will "carefully review" a report by the Ethiopian aviation authorities on the Ethiopian Airlines crash involving its 737 Max 8 jet that killed all 157 people aboard last month.

Boeing said understanding the circumstances surrounding the air crash is critical to ensuring safe flight.

"We will carefully review the AIB's preliminary report, and will take any and all additional steps necessary to enhance the safety of our aircraft," Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Kevin McAllister said in a statement in response to the preliminary investigation report of the ET 302 crash by the Ethiopian Accident Investigation Bureau.

Boeing's statement came after preliminary investigation into Ethiopian Airlines crash showed that the pilots followed Boeing required procedures, but could not control the jet, pointing at potential problems of the aircraft's flight control system.

Meanwhile, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said Thursday Boeing will take necessary measures to eliminate all risks that may impact on flight safety, including the erroneous activation of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System function in the flight control system.

"It's our responsibility to eliminate this risk. We own it and we know how to do it," said Muilenburg.

"We're taking a comprehensive, disciplined approach, and taking the time, to get the software update right. We're nearing completion and anticipate its certification and implementation on the 737 Max fleet worldwide in the weeks ahead," he added.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it is establishing a joint task team with international regulators to have a comprehensive review of the certification of the aircraft's automated flight control system and to evaluate its design and pilots' interaction with the system.