Scathing report: FAA dropped the ball when approving 737 Max
U.S. aviation regulators assessing Boeings 737 Max sometimes didnt follow their own rules, used out-of-date procedures and lacked the resources and expertise to fully vet the design changes implicated in two fatal crashes, a review panel comprised of global aviation experts has concluded.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which approved the design of the jet in 2017, dropped the ball on many fronts, the Joint Authorities Technical Review found. A 69-page summary of the findings also said the panel found evidence that Boeing exerted undue pressures on some of its own employees who had FAA authority to approve design changes.
The JATR conclusions released Friday are the most sweeping to date to examine how the best-selling Boeing jet, which has been grounded for almost seven months, received approval for what is now seen as a flawed design. The National Transportation Safety Board last month issued recommendations calling for better flight testing for such systems.
There were an inadequate number of FAA specialists assigned to the 737 Maxs new design and they had inadequate awareness of the system implicated in the two crashes, the report said. Some regulations and policies were not applied by the agency as it oversaw design changes on the plane in a way that failed to achieve the full safety benefit, it said.
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