FAA tells Boeing to fix 747-8 software glitch

[WASHINGTON] The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday ordered an immediate fix to the latest version of Boeing's 747-8 plane, saying that a software glitch could cause it to lose thrust when close to landing and fly into the ground.

The FAA's so-called airworthiness directive covers Boeing's 747-8 and 747-8F planes with certain General Electric (GE) engines. It calls for replacing defective software with a new, improved version.

The rule, the fourth such directive involving the 747-8, directly affects seven aeroplanes in the US, the FAA said. If adopted internationally, the rule would cover a larger number. Boeing's website said that it had delivered 66 of the four-engine jets, the company's largest, to customers worldwide since the model was introduced in October 2011.