The pilots were reportedly woken by an onboard alarm after the autopilot disconnected.
One of Boeing's biggest customers wants fundamental changes from the planemaker after its flawed 737 MAX jet and has urged it to recognise"culpability and accountability"from the very top.
America's Federal Aviation Administration is expected to clear Boeing’s 737 MAX to fly again after grounding the jet for nearly two years due to a pair of crashes that killed 346 people
Disclosed troves of internal Boeing documents highlighted company employees'safety concerns about the 737 Max before hundreds of people were killed in two crashes.
Boeing booked no new orders for planes last month as the planemaker continues to grapple with the 737 MAX crisis.
"We've asked Boeing to get rid of that word MAX,"the chairman of a major aircraft leasing firm said.
"Boeing executives should be walking away in handcuffs,not with millions of dollars,"said Zipporah Kuria,whose father was among 149 passengers who died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash.
Dennis Muilenburg was fired from the job in December as Boeing failed to contain the fallout from two fatal crashes that halted output of the company's bestselling 737 Max jetliner.
Boeing shifted gears as the US Federal Aviation Administration signalled it wouldn't certify the revamped Max this year.
Shares jumped as investors grew more hopeful the planemaker had addressed software problems at the heart of two fatal crashes.
Dennis Muilenburg said he has considered stepping down in the wake of two deadly crashes but said"that's not what's in my character."