Momentum grows in Congress for more FAA oversight of Boeing
Pressure is growing in Congress for at least modest changes in how federal regulators approve new passenger planes after two deadly crashes involving the Boeing 737 Max. On Tuesday, two key senators on transportation issues proposed several changes that would increase FAA's direct role in the aircraft-certification process. Their legislation would not end a decades-old practice in which the FAA relies on aircraft manufacturers' own employees to certify the safety of systems on their planes. But it would require the FAA to select the people who do the safety work instead of letting the manufacturers pick them. Supporters of the FAA’s reliance on employees of aircraft makers point to the safety record of US airlines – no fatal crashes since 2009 – as proof that the policy produces safe planes. Critics say, however, that FAA approved the Boeing Max without fully understanding an anti-stall system that was later implicated in the crashes. The new bill by the Republican chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and the panel’s top Democrat, Maria Cantwell of Washington, would make other changes, too. Story has more.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2020-06-17/general/momentum-grows-in-congress-for-more-faa-oversight-of-boeing
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Momentum grows in Congress for more FAA oversight of Boeing
Pressure is growing in Congress for at least modest changes in how federal regulators approve new passenger planes after two deadly crashes involving the Boeing 737 Max. On Tuesday, two key senators on transportation issues proposed several changes that would increase FAA's direct role in the aircraft-certification process. Their legislation would not end a decades-old practice in which the FAA relies on aircraft manufacturers' own employees to certify the safety of systems on their planes. But it would require the FAA to select the people who do the safety work instead of letting the manufacturers pick them. Supporters of the FAA’s reliance on employees of aircraft makers point to the safety record of US airlines – no fatal crashes since 2009 – as proof that the policy produces safe planes. Critics say, however, that FAA approved the Boeing Max without fully understanding an anti-stall system that was later implicated in the crashes. The new bill by the Republican chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and the panel’s top Democrat, Maria Cantwell of Washington, would make other changes, too. Story has more.<br/>
