US lawmakers seek review of FAA Boeing 737 MAX oversight

Two US lawmakers asked the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General to review the FAA oversight over Boeing’s actions surrounding the 737 MAX jet. The chair of the House of Representatives Transportation Committee, Peter DeFazio, and Rick Larsen, who chairs a subcommittee on aviation, said the request came after the FAA failed to provide an adequate response to a November letter seeking answers about Boeing actions before two Boeing 737 MAX crashes in five months that killed 346 people and led to the plane’s 20-month grounding. Boeing declined to comment. The FAA did not immediately comment. Boeing agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department in January 2021, including the payment of $2.5b in fines and compensation stemming from the 737 MAX crashes. Last week, the Justice Department defended the agreement over objections from some victims’ relatives. FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a Jan. 24 letter made public Tuesday that because of the Justice Department investigation and work by other reviews, the “FAA did not pursue investigations or actions against individuals within the Boeing Company.”<br/>