Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) sent a letter to Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Stephen Dickson questioning the way the FAA made decisions on two safety-related items with potentially catastrophic consequences: rudder cable protection on the Boeing 737 MAX and lightning protection for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
“As you know, our Committee has been investigating the design and development of Boeing's 737 MAX, the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) certification processes, and related issues. While our investigation is ongoing, we are concerned about two additional safety issues about which we have received detailed information. Both appear to involve serious, potentially catastrophic safety concerns raised by FAA technical specialists that FAA management ultimately overruled after Boeing objected. These incidents raise questions about how the agency weighs the validity of safety issues raised by its own experts compared to objections raised by the aircraft manufacturers the FAA is supposed to oversee,” the Members wrote.
The Committee has been investigating the design, development and certification of the Boeing 737 MAX since mid-March.
A full copy of the letter can be found here.
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