According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) is investigating the FAA’s approval of Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft. The inquiry is looking into possible lapses in federal safety approvals for new aircraft and focuses on the safety system that was implicated in the Lion Air crash in October. The probe is being conducted by the DoT’s inspector general. A Seattle-based FAA office that certifies new aircraft models, as well as a different office in the same region that approved training requirements are being looked at.
“A clear similarity” is shown on the plane’s flight data recorder, says Dagmawit Moges, Ethiopian Transport Minister, based on preliminary data retrieved so far.
Read the Wall Street Journal report here.