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• Congressional committees are holding hearings on federal aviation oversight today, including how Boeing's 737 Max aircraft, which has been involved in two fatal accidents, has been certified.
• Elaine Chao, Secretary of Transportation, was confronted with a number of questions regarding the 737 Max.
• Lawmakers have been urging Ms. Chao on the relationship between the Federal Aviation Administration and the companies it regulates, such as Boeing.
• Boeing executives meet with about 200 pilots, airline executives and regulators in Renton, Wash., To review proposed changes to the 737 Max.
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Senators gather in the east and industry leaders in the west
The busy day on Capitol Hill began at 10 am when the Transportation Subcommittee of the Senate Credit Committee convened a hearing with Elaine Chao, Secretary of Transportation. The hearing apparently related to the Ministry of Transport's budget request for the 2020 exercise, but legislators used it to ask him about the 737 Max.
"Let me stress that safety is still # 1 at the Department of Transportation, and one good day is that nothing is going wrong," Ms. Chao said in her opening statement. About the crash of Ethiopian Airlines this month, during which 157 people were killed, she added.
During the two-hour hearing, Ms. Chao had to answer questions on various issues related to the 737 Max, including the fact that the FAA relies on the manufacturers in the certification process, the 39, the existence of optional security features for the Max and why. the FAA did not move faster to land the plane after the accident in Ethiopia.
At 3 pm, the aviation subcommittee of the Senate Commerce and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on aviation safety, with a focus on recent accidents. Daniel K. Elwell, Acting FDA Director; Robert L. Sumwalt, President of the National Transportation Safety Board; and Calvin L. Scovel III, Inspector General of the Department of Transport.
A few hours before the appearance of Mr. Scovel, his office officially announced that it would conduct an audit of the 737 Max certification by the CA, as requested by Ms. Chao last week.
Boeing's offices in Renton are also very busy. The company, which initially had little to say since the crash in Ethiopia and the crisis it has been facing since, held an early morning briefing for journalists, followed by a visit. from the factory. Later in the day, Boeing executives – but not managing director Dennis A. Muilenburg – met with about 200 pilots, airline executives and regulators to review the proposed changes to the 737 Max.
2 accidents raise safety issues
In the days following the accident in Ethiopia, global regulators put the aircraft down to earth. Those in China were the first to do so and other governments around the world quickly followed suit.
While the aircraft are on the ground, Boeing is working on a software update that would change the operating mode of the suspected system. The company is also working on developing new training procedures for pilots flying 737 Max aircraft and modernizing the jets with a previously optional security feature. The feature will be standard on new Max aircraft.
The committee members asked Ms. Chao if she would ask Boeing to install security devices on the 737 Max.
"I do not think we're still here, but it's very doubtful that it's security-oriented additions, why they were not part of the required model of measures that should be embedded in an airplane, "Ms. Chao said.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, said she was considering introducing a bill requiring aircraft manufacturers to include all available security features in the base price of an airplane .
"The fact that two planes apparently leave the same problem in a short time and that many people on board say that we are doing something wrong, in my opinion," Feinstein said. "I am firmly convinced that essential safety equipment should be included in the base selling price of an airplane."
The Regulatory Practices of the A.A.A. are subject to scrutiny
F.A.A. has long allowed aircraft manufacturers to help certify that their new aircraft meets safety standards. Ms. Chao described the practice as "necessary" even though it is coming under increased surveillance.
Boeing, through the organization's designation authorization program, was able to choose its own employees to help some 400 government regulators certify the 737 Max. When she asked Ms. Collins if the relationship "potentially sacrifices the safety of the traveling public," Ms. Chao said the opportunity was "troubling."
"Of course I'm concerned about any allegation of usability with a company, a manufacturer, whatever," she said, adding, "We should have absolute confidence in the regulators, that they certify correctly.
But she added that the government had delegated certification tasks to the aviation industry since the 1920s.
"It's not a new procedure," she said. "It has been expanded over the years."
Ms. Chao emphasized that the CA.A.A. establishes safety standards that airlines must respect while developing aeronautical technology. The certification process, she said, "is of course subject to supervision and supervision by the CA."
"This method of ensuring that the manufacturer also participates in the review of these standards is really necessary, because once again, F.A.A. can not do it themselves, "she said. "They need the input of the manufacturer."
How was the software born?
Boeing developed the 737 Max as his most recent rivalry with Airbus, the European aircraft builder. When Airbus announced a more fuel-efficient version of its A320, the 737's main competitor, Boeing was likely to lose big customers like American Airlines if it did not develop its own more fuel-efficient aircraft.
In order to react quickly to the new Airbus aircraft, Boeing decided to update its famous 737 instead of designing a new aircraft from scratch. To make the 737 more fuel efficient, Boeing offered it more powerful engines. However, this update has changed the aerodynamics of the aircraft and made it likely to drop under certain conditions.
To reduce the risk of blockage, Boeing has developed a software called MCAS. The 737 Max was flying more like previous versions of the aircraft, but the pilots were not explicitly informed of its operation.
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