Ex-Boeing Pilot Charged with Fraud in 737 Max Probe
- Former chief technical pilot Forkner accused of deceiving FAA
- U.S. investigation began in 2018 following deadly plane crash
Photographer: David Ryder/Getty Images
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A former Boeing Co. pilot was charged with deceiving U.S. aviation regulators in the first prosecution related to two fatal 737 Max accidents that plunged the aviation titan into crisis.
Mark Forkner, a former chief technical pilot for the company, was indicted Thursday on charges that he deceived the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aircraft Evaluation Group during the agency’s evaluation and certification of the Max, the Justice Department said in a statement. He’s accused of providing the FAA with false, inaccurate and incomplete information about a new part of the flight controls for the Max.