Senate investigators concluded that Boeing "inappropriately coached" government pilots for a simulator test that was part of the Federal Aviation Administration's efforts to ensure that the company's 737 Max could be made safe to fly again after two deadly crashes.
The conclusion is contained in a report issued Friday by the Senate Commerce Committee on an investigation that was launched after the Max crashes but that ultimately broadened to unearth numerous safety problems across the FAA.
The July 2019 simulator test was designed to determine whether pilots could quickly react to faulty software implicated in the two crashes, which killed 346 people. A whistleblower alleged that Boeing officials prompted test pilots to be ready to use the correct controls to respond, telling them, "Remember, get right on that pickle switch."
Even with that prompt, one of the pilots took four times longer to respond than Boeing and the FAA had assumed.
A Transportation Department lawyer prohibited an FAA employee, whom investigators understood to be one of the pilots, from answering questions about the incident in an interview, according to the report.
"The Committee concludes FAA and Boeing officials involved in the conduct of this test had established a predetermined outcome" to reaffirm their assumptions about pilot reactions, the investigators wrote.
The incident suggests that problems arising from the close relationship between Boeing and the FAA, which other investigators have said affected the initial safety certification of the Max, also affected at least the early stage of efforts to reauthorize the jets to fly.
"We have learned many hard lessons from the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Flight 302 accidents, and we will never forget the lives lost on board," Boeing said in a statement. "The events and lessons learned have reshaped our company and further focused our attention on our core values of safety, quality, and integrity."
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22183605/1228808006.jpg)
www.theverge.com
