FLAWS in the design of Boeing Co.’s 737 MAX and lack of information on how to deal with malfunctions in the jet’s flight-control system contributed to last year’s crash of Lion Air Flight 610, which killed 189 people, Indonesian investigators found.

In a slide show to victims’ families yesterday, the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) said the jet’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, was approved based on incorrect assumptions and that its reliance on a single angle-of-attack sensor made it vulnerable.

Indonesia is expected to release a final report in the coming days on the October 2018 disaster. The MCAS was also implicated in the crash an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX jet in March that claimed 157 lives.

Indonesia media have said the report could be released as early as Friday.

“We’re going to hear what [regulators] have to say about the report. Hopefully, it’ll make the case clearer,” said Eka Sulistiawati, who lost her husband in the crash.

The NTSC’s findings could influence regulators worldwide as they assess the fate of Boeing’s best-selling plane. The jet has been grounded globally since March 13, costing the Chicago-based company more than US$8 billion.

Boeing on Tuesday replaced the chief of its commercial plane division, the most significant executive departure since the 737 MAX grounding plunged the company into crisis seven months ago.(SD-Agencies)