BOEING 737 MAX SAFETY INVESTIGATION
April 1, 2019
Following the crashes of Lion Air flight 610 on October 28, 2018, and Ethiopian Air flight 302 on March 10, 2019, Boeing’s best-selling 737 MAX 8 passenger jets were grounded around the world earlier this month. On March 27, 2019, Boeing announced that it had completed work on the software fix for the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), the aircraft’s autopilot system suspected to be linked to both crashes. The software must now be approved by the FAA.
On March 25, 2019, DOT announced the creation of a Safety Oversight and Certification Advisory Committee (SOCAC), which had previously been mandated by Section 202 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. The SOCAC will be comprised of industry stake holder experts and provide recommendations on safety oversight. Within the SOCAC will also be an established “Special Committee to Review FAA’s Aircraft Certification Process.” The Special Committee will present its findings directly to the Secretary of Transportation and the FAA Administrator. DOT’s reform actions were not without controversy, however: on March 26, 2019, Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, criticized DOT for not constituting the SOCAC sooner, within a statutory deadline, and suggested the committee might be a “rush job” that lacks the expertise and credibility to investigate the MAX issues.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6622); Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6665), or Alexander Matthews (amatthews@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6633).
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