WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — In the days following the second crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8 jet that killed everyone on board, a string of problems has been revealed.
There are a lot of red flags with how the MAX 8 jets were certified by the FAA and how they were rolled out by Boeing.
The New York Times reports both jets that crashed did not have optional software that might have prevented the accidents. Boeing charged extra for that feature.
Douglas Kidd of the National Association of Airline Passengers said Boeing redesigned its newest jet to be more fuel efficient.
“Because it changed the flight characteristics, they decided they needed to put in some extra software to compensate for the natural tendency of those engines to push the nose up,” Kidd said. “So they put in software to push the nose down.”
Kidd said Boeing didn’t tell pilots about the changes.
Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao asked the Office of the Inspector General to review how the 737 Max 8 were safety certified. She wants to know if the FAA outsourced too much safety testing to Boeing itself.
“The FAA has fallen down on the job,” Kidd said. “This really highlights a bigger problem and that is the FAA has been paying attention more to the manufacturer, more to the airlines than they are to the traveling public.”
This week Boeing CEO issued a video statement saying in part: “We’re taking action to fully reassure airlines and their passengers of the safety of the 737 Max.
Pilots have expressed concern that Boeing’s plan to train them is still not adequate, relying mostly on iPads rather than full-size cockpit flight simulators.
