Report Backs Allegations Against Boeing
The Democrats in the US House of Representatives went hard with aircraft manufacturer Boeing and the regulatory authorities in an investigation report into the crashes of two 737 Max planes. The report explains how the combination of design flaws at Boeing, lax government oversight, and a lack of transparency from the aircraft manufacturer and regulators made the two crashes possible.
Boeing 737 Max was taken out of service in March 2019 after the two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia with a total of 346 deaths. The main cause of the accidents is considered to be faulty control software.
The 238-page report, written by the majority representatives on the Transport Committee of the House of Representatives, doubts whether the aircraft manufacturer and the FAA have drawn the right conclusions for safety despite the flight ban on the 737 Max since March last year. According to the investigation, Boeing's difficulties stem from the fact that the company is reluctant to admit mistakes. Everything points to a "corporate culture that urgently needs a new start in the area of security".
Boeing did not leave the report uncommented. "As a company, we have learned painful lessons from the crashes on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Flight 302 and from the mistakes we made," said the aircraft manufacturer. "We are working hard to strengthen our safety culture and to rebuild trust with customers, regulators and passengers."
Boeing employees are said to have pointed out problems
The report also questions whether the proposed changes within the FAA are appropriate to end insufficient scrutiny of new aircraft designs. Design and management flaws at Max would reflect a flawed approval process in which agency managers often undermine the authority of FAA engineers, giving the industry undue influence. The report found "grossly negligent, inadequate oversight by the FAA". The authority is not able to fulfill its obligations and to ensure the safety of the passengers. Committee chairman Peter DeFazio called for fundamental changes in the regulation of flight safety in the USA.
The FAA said it is continuously working to advance flight safety. She wants to work with the committee to address the shortcomings identified in the report. In addition, the authorities reiterated that they had ordered changes to the design of the 737 Max and that they were following a "thorough process" in order to bring the machine back into service.
Much in the report confirmed the preliminary findings published six months ago. However, new details also show that several Boeing employees had pointed out problems before the FAA certified the 737 Max as safe. However, the warnings did not trigger any tests, either by the authorities or by Boeing.