House will vote on FAA reform after Boeing 737 MAX crash

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US House of Representatives to vote Tuesday on bipartisan legislation to reform Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aircraft certification process after two fatal Boeing BAN 737 MAX accidents killed 346 people.

The 737 MAX has been grounded since March 2019, but on Wednesday the FAA will approve the aircraft’s return to service after a lengthy overhaul, new software protections, and training updates.

The House bill requires a panel of experts to evaluate Boeing’s safety culture and recommend improvements, and requires aircraft manufacturers to adopt safety management systems and complete system safety assessments for significant design changes. It also requires that risk calculations be based on realistic assumptions of the pilot’s response time and that risk assessments be shared with regulators.

On September 30, the Chamber’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee approved the measure unanimously.

Representative Peter DeFazio, chairman of the jury, told Reuters in a statement that the measure is “a strong bill that has the backing of both sides of the aisle and addresses something we all agree on: keeping people. safe. There is no reason to wait until the next Congress to get this result. “

DeFazio, a Democrat, said the FAA failed to adequately ensure the safety of the 737 MAX and called the aircraft certification “a broken system that broke public trust.”

Boeing and the FAA declined to comment on the legislation.

A report released by DeFazio found the 737 MAX crashes to be the “horrific culmination” of Boeing and FAA failures and called for urgent reforms.

The House bill would extend airline whistleblower protections to U.S. manufacturing employees, require FAA approval for new workers performing delegated certification tasks, and impose civil penalties on those who interfere with the conduct of FAA authorized tasks.

Lead Republican on the panel, Rep Sam Graves, said the bill “will help ensure that the United States remains the gold standard in aviation safety and maintains our aerospace competitiveness because we have been able to leave politics. biased to the door (and) adhere to the expert conclusions that our system should be improved but not dismantled. “

It is unclear whether the US Senate will adopt the measure before the expiry of the current Congress this year.