FAA, NASA create joint task force to review Boeing 737 Max fix

April 3 (UPI) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is launching a joint task force with NASA and international aviation regulators to review Boeing's fix for its 737 Max jets.

The task force, known as the Joint Authorities Technical Review team, will evaluate the automated flight control system, or MCAS, suspected to have caused the two crashes involving the jets since October, CNBC reported.

Former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Chris Hart will chair the task force to review the MCAS' "design and pilots' interaction with the system, to determine its compliance with all applicable regulations and to identify future enhancements that might be needed," the FAA said.

Boeing said Wednesday that CEO Dennis Muilenburg joined pilots aboard a successful 737 Max jet test flight.

"The flight crew performed different scenarios that exercised various aspects of the software changes to test failure conditions," the company said. "The software update worked as designed, and the pilots landed safely at Boeing Field."

Production of the 737 Max has continued despite the fact that regulators in the United States and other countries grounded the jet after the most recent crash.

"We continue to build 737 Max airplanes, while assessing how the situation, including potential capacity constraints, will impact our production system," Boeing spokesman Paul Bergman told Bloomberg.

The FAA said Monday it expects to receive Boeing's final package of software updates for the 737 Max in the coming weeks at which point they will be subjected to a "rigorous" safety review.