US Senate to hold crash hearing as lawmakers urge grounding Boeing 737 MAX 8

The US Senate Commerce Committee plans to hold a hearing on the fatal crashes of two Boeing Co 737 MAX 8 jets since October as a growing number of lawmakers called on US regulators to ground the airplane. US Senators Mitt Romney and Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday called on the FAA to follow several other countries and temporarily ground Boeing’s 737 MAX 8, days after a crash in Ethiopia killed everyone onboard one of the planes. “Out of an abundance of caution for the flying public, the (FAA) should ground the 737 MAX 8 until we investigate the causes of recent crashes and ensure the plane’s airworthiness,” Romney said. The FAA said late on Tuesday that its ongoing review of the 737 MAX shows “no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft.” Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican who chairs the Commerce Committee, said on Tuesday he plans to hold a hearing, along with Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican who chairs a subcommittee on aviation and space. Cruz said it would be prudent “to temporarily ground 737 Max aircraft” until the FAA “confirms the safety of these aircraft and their passengers.” Cruz added he intends “to hold a hearing to investigate these crashes, determine their contributing factors, and ensure that the United States aviation industry remains the safest in the world.”<br/>