FAA doubles down on position not to ground the Boeing 737 Max

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

U.S. aviation safety officials found themselves virtually alone Tuesday, after their counterparts in Europe and around the world ordered hundreds of Boeing aircraft grounded while investigators work to find the cause of an Ethio­pian Airlines crash that killed 157 this week.

The Trump administration resisted bipartisan calls to temporarily suspend use of the Boeing 737 Max 8, even as President Trump consulted by phone with the besieged company’s CEO.

With the European Union and others following China’s move to bar flights by some of the American aviation giant’s most important airplanes, former transportation safety officials said the Federal Aviation Administration risked losing its status as the world’s aviation safety leader.

The 737 Max 8, Boeing’s newest plane, has been involved in two crashes in less than six months. The first, in October, killed all 189 passengers and crew aboard a Lion Air flight when the plane plunged into the Java Sea off Indonesia shortly after takeoff.

Former U.S. transportation secretary Ray LaHood, who was a GOP congressman before being appointed by President Barack Obama, said current Secretary Elaine Chao should immediately ground the aircraft.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/european-aviation-officials-break-with-faa-and-boeing-and-ground-737-max-8-aircraft-involved-in-crash/2019/03/12/cd64a8d0-44d4-11e9-90f0-0ccfeec87a61_story.html?utm_term=.6d503ba6fb23&wpisrc=al_news__alert-national&wpmk=1

[rzemanfl]

1. Rachel Maddow is covering the hell out of this right now. n/t

[dlk]

2. As Usual, it's All About the Money - Profits Before People

[roamer65]

3. I'd cancel my flight before I fly on one.

Airbus 321 or nada.

[pangaia]

6. Why not other 737 models?

They don't have this problem...

[roamer65]

10. True. But I love Airbus A320 series aircraft.

One got me through my worst weather flight EVER. Summer midwestern supercells.

Its wings were flapping like a goose and people were hanging on for dear life. That A320 got everyone home safe. God bless that Airbus.

[shanti]

4. Southwest and American

still use them. Which sucks, because I almost always fly Southwest. Won’t be flying until they get this fixed.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. The FAA doesn't even have a permanent administrator.

The acting administrator, Daniel Elwell, seems to have a decent enough resume for the job, except for the time when earlier in his career he "served as a legislative fellow for the late Senator Ted Stevens." But that's beside the point; the FAA has been without a permanent administrator since Trump took office. That suggests the administration doesn't really give a shit about this agency and what it's supposed to be doing. It's interesting that the former administrator, who had been a GOP congressman, says the airplanes should be grounded. Yes, it's a kick in the pants for Boeing, but another accident, especially one in the US (the only country that's flying them now) would be an even bigger kick in the pants, both for Boeing and the FAA (not to mention the people affected). I've always said FAA regulations are written in blood...

[uponit7771]

11. +1

[Dawson Leery]

7. The Trump shutdown slowed down the FAA's process to work

with Boeing on a software patch.
The Deplorable scumbags own this.

[Takket]

12. EVERY Democrat should be SCREAMING THIS on national TV

[malaise]

8. Expect to hear from the Pilots'Union and the FLight Attendants' Union

I'm betting they will be grounded tomorrow

[Firestorm49]

9. As usual, the rest of the world wants a solution to a problem.

We don’t seem to be too concerned about plane loads of people dying. Close to 300 in a few weeks. What the hell is going on in this country?

[Wellstone ruled]

13. You call the President and beg

for him to take a pass because you donated 1 million to his Infatuation . Follow the money. F--the people who buy those Airplane Tickets.

[benld74]

14. Better say your prayers no additional

Catastrophes occurs because of this