House Leaders Push for Reform in Airplane Certification

Prompted by the fatal crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX planes almost two years ago – and the subsequent long recertification process – the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Monday introduced bipartisan legislation to reform the Federal Aviation Administration’s aircraft certification process.

The news was first reported by David Shepardson of Reuters News Service.

It has been almost two years now since the first of two fatal crashes killed 346 passengers and crew on two separate airlines.

The aircraft, Boeing’s most popular seller, has been grounded worldwide since March of 2019 and only now is entering the final phases of being recertified by the FAA. In fact, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, a former pilot with Delta Air Lines, will test the 737 MAX himself on Wednesday.

Wednesday is also the day the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will vote on the proposed legislation that would require U.S. aircraft manufacturers to adopt safety management systems as well as require an expert review panel to evaluate Boeing’s safety culture and make recommendations for improvements.

According to Reuters, the proposal would also require manufacturers to complete system safety assessments for significant design changes, ensure risk calculations are based on realistic assumptions of pilot response time and share risk assessments with the FAA.

Can it pass? Hard to say. On Sept. 16, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee postponed consideration of a separate bill to overhaul FAA aircraft certification.