U.S. DOT asks Inspector General to audit on Boeing 737 MAX certification

The U.S. Department of Transportion (DOT) has asked the Office of Inspector General to proceed with an audit to “compile an objective and detailed factual history of the activities that resulted in the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft”. The aircraft certification has now come under investigation after two fatal – and similar (*) – accidents in five months.

In January 2012, Boeing requested an amended type certification for the Boeing 737 aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the certification in March 2017. In a memorandum addressed to the Office of Inspector General, the DOT writes: “To help inform the Department’s decision making and the public’s understanding, and to assist the FAA in ensuring that its safety procedures are implemented effectively.”

(*) The French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) downloaded and investigated the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder of the crashed Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX and noted clear similarities between Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 and flight 610 from Lion Air. Further study is required during the investigation.