March 20, 2019

Chairs DeFazio, Larsen Request DOT IG Investigation into FAA Certifying Boeing 737 MAX

Washington, D.C. – 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 the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Calvin L. Scovel III, requesting an investigation into the Federal Aviation Administration’s approach to certifying the Boeing 737 MAX.

“The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is committed to making the world’s safest transportation system even safer. We understand that fully investigating the probable cause or causes of these accidents will take some time. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is the U.S. Accredited Representative assisting with the investigation and we have full faith in its thorough process and expert personnel to conduct a rigorous review. However, while the NTSB will examine these two accidents, we request that your office assess the FAA’s approach to certifying the Boeing 737 MAX. Regardless of the specific factors that led to these accidents, we believe such an examination can help enhance the effectiveness of the FAA certification process overall and identify improvements to oversight and safety of all new aircraft,” the Members wrote.

A full copy of the letter can be found here.