The trial of Mark Forkner, the former chief technical officer of Boeing at 737 MAX, was launched last week in Fort Worth with prosecutors claiming he lied to regulators about the significance of changes in the flight control system and his defense claims that he becomes a scapegoat. Forkner is the only person to face criminal charges that result from investigations into Boeing and the FAA’s handling of MAX certification, of which two have been dropped, killing 346 people. Forkner was a key point of contact between the company and the agency during much of the certification process and the implementation of the maneuver characteristics augmentation system and the flight control system of the jet. He pleaded not guilty to four counts of fraud. He originally faced six charges but two were dropped.
The prosecution intends to introduce scores of emails and other documents to prove that Forkner deliberately added FAA representatives about the implications of the MCAS, which was intended to provide electronic attenuation of aerodynamic effects to add much larger engines and add them to position on the aircraft. MCAS was cited in both accidents, one in Indonesia and one in Ethiopia. In both cases, incorrect data from attitude indicators prompted the system to push the plane into dives, the pilots could not capture. Prosecutors argue that Forkner minimized the impact of MCAS because Boeing wanted to certify the aircraft without the need for extensive pilot training. Forkner claims that he was kept in the dark about significant changes made to the system as the certification requirement test continued.
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