FAA to reform new
airplane safety approvals after 737 MAX crashes
WASHINGTON (Reuters)
- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday it would reform how
it certifies new airplanes in line with legislation passed by Congress
after two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people.
Lawmakers approved
sweeping reforms in legislation signed into law Sunday by U.S. President
Donald Trump that boosts FAA oversight of aircraft manufacturers, requires
disclosure of critical safety information and provide new whistleblower
protections.
The FAA said in a
statement it “will work to implement the changes as directed by Congress.
The FAA is committed to continuous advancement of aviation safety and
improving our organization, processes, and culture.”
Senator Roger
Wicker, a Republican who chairs the Commerce Committee, said in an opinion
piece Monday the law “will take steps to protect against manufacturers
placing undue pressure on employees during the certification process.”
Wicker added the law
“should help restore the safety culture in the FAA.”
An FAA survey
released in August found some safety employees reported facing “strong”
external pressure from industry and raised alarms the agency does not
always prioritize air safety.
The FAA lifted the
20-month grounding of the 737 MAX last month. The MAX is set to resume U.S.
commercial passenger flights Tuesday, when American Airlines begins flying
the MAX on a Miami to New York flight.
The legislation
requires an independent review of Boeing’s safety culture.
Boeing, which faces
an ongoing criminal investigation into the MAX, has not commented on the
new law.
The FAA must report
to Congress on implementation of recommendations issued after the 737 MAX
crashes.
“You can’t legislate
cultural change, but we’re darn sure going to try to increase the safety
goals,” Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce
Committee, said in an interview.
The law repeals
rules allowing FAA employees to receive bonuses or other financial
incentive based on meeting manufacturer-driven certification schedules or
quotas.
“We’re not going to
pay people at the FAA to move planes faster,” Cantwell said. “This is about
getting safety right.”
The law authorizes
civil penalties against aviation manufacturer supervisors who interfere with
employees acting on behalf of the FAA, authorizes new resources for FAA to
add key technical staff and requires it to review pilot-training.
The United States
has not had a fatal U.S. passenger airline crash since February 2009 and
only one fatality due to a U.S. passenger airline accident in that period.
The FAA credited the decline in fatalities in part “because the FAA
established robust information-sharing programs throughout the aviation
industry that encouraged openness.”
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