Who tells who what to do?
FAA let Boeing 737 Max continue to fly even as review found serious crash risk
Analysis from US regulators found plane could have averaged a fatal crash about every two to three years without design changes
US regulators allowed Boeing’s 737 Max to keep flying even after their own analysis found the plane could have averaged one fatal crash about every two or three years without intervention.
According to a report dated a month after a Lion Air 737 Max crashed in October 2018, killing 189 people, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concluded the plane could become involved in more fatal crashes without design changes.
A second 737 Max operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed in March 2019 with the loss of 157 lives. Aviation authorities around the world grounded the Max shortly after the second crash.
The FAA analysis, dated 3 December 2018, was released on Wednesday during a House committee hearing into US’s top aviation oversight of the aircraft’s certification. The review predicted 15 fatal crashes were possible if no changes were made to flight-control software, which has been implicated in both crashes, over the course of the plane’s lifetime.
An FAA spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news: “It was clear from the beginning that an unsafe condition existed.”
The spokesperson said that the analysis “provided additional context in helping determine the mitigation action”.
According to the Wall Street Journal, FAA officials had major concerns about the Max’s MCAS stall prevention software, which investigators have blamed for the Lion Air crash. But they decided to certify the plane anyway in anticipation of Boeing fixing the software and, in the meantime, telling aircrew worldwide how to respond to MCAS issues.
Boeing are trying hard to get the FAA approval at the cost of what?
The 737 Max is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating nearly 4,700 orders from more than 100 customers worldwide. Boeing had hoped to get the plane back in the air this year after a major overhaul, but the FAA has said the recertification process will stretch into 2020.
"Wat is het een gezellig boel hier".