Boeing CEO asked to testify in crash litigation, lawmakers demand FAA release records

Relatives of victims of a Boeing 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia that occurred five months after an Indonesian Lion Air disaster are stepping up pressure on the American planemaker and the federal government, according to a court filing and a letter to US lawmakers. Families have called for testimony from Boeing CE Dave Calhoun, his predecessor and other current and former employees as part of their legal case in Chicago, court documents show. Separately, the families urged lawmakers in letter to demand that the US FAA turn over internal emails and documents spanning the Lion Air crash and one month after the Ethiopian crash. Together, 346 people died. A Senate report in December detailed lapses in aviation safety oversight and failed leadership in the FAA. It found that FAA leaders obstructed that report as well as a DOT watchdog review of the regulator’s oversight, the results of which were released on Wednesday. “There is serious unfinished business,” the families said in the letter. Boeing has mostly settled civil litigation stemming from the Lion Air crash, but still faces over 100 lawsuits in Chicago federal court related to the second crash. The plaintiffs’ lawyers are focusing on what Boeing knew about the causes of the first crash and why the plane continued to fly. They want to schedule depositions of Calhoun and Muilenburg between May 3 and June 18.<br/>