US watchdog will review FAA oversight of key Boeing 737 MAX features

A US government watchdog said on Thursday it will review the FAA oversight of two safety features on the Boeing 737 MAX. The Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General said Thursday it will audit the FAA's oversight of the inclusion of MCAS, a key airplane software feature in the 737 MAX design, that was cited as a contributing factor in two fatal MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people. OIG will also review FAA oversight of the inoperability of Angle of Attack disagree alerts on the majority of the MAX fleet in 2019. Boeing in 2017 identified that not all 737 MAX 8 aircraft were equipped with an AOA disagree alerts but did not directly notify FAA of the issue. An FAA spokesperson said the agency "welcomes the outside scrutiny." This will be the fourth review into the MAX by the OIG. In April 2021, the agency opened a review of the FAA's oversight of the Boeing 737 MAX return to service in late 2020.<br/>