The President of the Commerce Committee in the US Senate, Maria Cantwell, has asked the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for clear answers regarding the effectiveness of its supervision of the Boeing Group's products. The reason? The in-flight explosion of the panel on board the B-737 Max 9 of the Alaska Airlines airline "calls into question the manufacturer's quality control", and indirectly the supervision by the FAA.

"The FAA's oversight processes may not have been effective in ensuring that Boeing-manufactured planes are safe to operate. The manufacturer will only have to get its company in order after an audit is announced", Cantwell said, noting that aircraft manufacturers will be given 50 days' notice before a new "quality system" is implemented.

The senator asked the FAA to provide by January 25 the documentation of the safety audits conducted on Boeing aircraft, and on the fuselages supplied by the company Spirit AeroSystems, in the last two years. In detail, Cantwell expressed concern about Boeing's "Verification Optimization" system, which replaced 900 "quality inspectors", entrusting checks to mechanics. A move that "would seem contrary to FAA requirements" he claims.

On the same topic, see also the article published by AVIONEWS.