The United States Department of Transportation has reportedly faulted “weaknesses” in US government certification of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, a new report has indicated.
The Boeing 737 MAX plane was grounded for 20 months following two crashes that killed 346 people.
According to the 63-page report released on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 and first published by Reuters and Seattle Times, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not have a complete understanding of a Boeing Co safety system tied to both crashes.
Background
The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft re-entered US commercial service in December 2020 after the Federal Aviation Administration approved changes the planemaker made to an automated flight-control system implicated in the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
It would be recalled that on Sunday, October 3, 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft en route to Nairobi, Kenya, crashed shortly after takeoff.
Ethiopian Airlines later confirmed that there were no survivors. There were reportedly eight crew members and 149 passengers on board the Nairobi-bound flight. The pilot had reported difficulties and asked for permission to turn back. An eyewitness told the AFP news agency at the time that the aircraft was on fire before it hit the ground.
Among the dead in the Ethiopian Airline crash were individuals from 35 countries. The airline noted at the time that the dead included at least 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians and nine Ethiopians, as well as eight passengers each from the United States, China and Italy.
Report Continues
According to the latest report by the US Transport Department, “much work remains” in fixing how aviation body certifies new planes.
The report stated that the FAA agreed to implement all 14 recommendations in the Department of Transportation report, adding that it “has already made substantial progress towards implementing reforms that address some of your recommendations.”
Also, Boeing revealed that it has “undertaken significant changes to reinforce our safety practices, and we have already made progress” on recommendations outlined in the report.
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