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FAA Administrator Dickson pressed on agency's prediction of 'as many as 15' Max crashes possible
Source: Washington Post
FAA Administrator Dickson pressed on agency’s prediction of ‘as many as 15’ Max crashes possible
By Michael Laris, Ian Duncan and Lori Aratani
12/11/2019, 5:09:00 p.m.
A Federal Aviation Administration analysis of the Boeing 737 Max performed after a fatal crash last year predicted “as many as 15 future fatal crashes within the life of the fleet,” Rep. Peter A. DeFazio said Wednesday at a hearing of the House Transportation Committee.
The forecast was based on the assumption that 99 out of 100 crews could handle the erroneous activation of an automated flight control feature on the plane, an assumption that DeFazio questioned.
DeFazio (D-Ore.), pressing FAA officials for answers at his committee’s fifth hearing on the Max, said the agency had “failed.” Two of the airliners crashed within five months, killing 346 people. The FAA “didn’t provide the regulatory oversight necessary to ensure the safety of the flying public,” DeFazio said.
“We are humbled when our best efforts fail,” FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson told the committee. Still, he added, “The system is not broken.
-snip-
But G. Michael Collins, a retired aerospace engineer with 29 years at the FAA, testified that the “safety culture” at the agency is much different than it was decades ago. He said management in those early years was “very supportive of engineers” as they evaluated airplane designs and when those engineers “identified features that did not comply” with federal regulations.
Collins said that was not what he saw as Boeing sought the FAA’s approval for the Max.
-snip-
By Michael Laris, Ian Duncan and Lori Aratani
12/11/2019, 5:09:00 p.m.
A Federal Aviation Administration analysis of the Boeing 737 Max performed after a fatal crash last year predicted “as many as 15 future fatal crashes within the life of the fleet,” Rep. Peter A. DeFazio said Wednesday at a hearing of the House Transportation Committee.
The forecast was based on the assumption that 99 out of 100 crews could handle the erroneous activation of an automated flight control feature on the plane, an assumption that DeFazio questioned.
DeFazio (D-Ore.), pressing FAA officials for answers at his committee’s fifth hearing on the Max, said the agency had “failed.” Two of the airliners crashed within five months, killing 346 people. The FAA “didn’t provide the regulatory oversight necessary to ensure the safety of the flying public,” DeFazio said.
“We are humbled when our best efforts fail,” FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson told the committee. Still, he added, “The system is not broken.
-snip-
But G. Michael Collins, a retired aerospace engineer with 29 years at the FAA, testified that the “safety culture” at the agency is much different than it was decades ago. He said management in those early years was “very supportive of engineers” as they evaluated airplane designs and when those engineers “identified features that did not comply” with federal regulations.
Collins said that was not what he saw as Boeing sought the FAA’s approval for the Max.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/faa-administrator-dickson-pressed-on-agencys-prediction-of-max-crashes/2019/12/11/2bbe3bfa-1c23-11ea-b4c1-fd0d91b60d9e_story.html