Current:Home > NewsSenator Tammy Duckworth calls on FAA to reject Boeing's request for safety waiver for the 737 Max 7 -WealthMindset Learning
Senator Tammy Duckworth calls on FAA to reject Boeing's request for safety waiver for the 737 Max 7
View
Date:2025-04-19 10:27:06
In a letter obtained exclusively by CBS News, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, demanded that the Federal Aviation Administration reject Boeing's request for a safety waiver on the so far uncertified 737 Max 7, the smallest of the four 737 Max variants.
"Boeing forfeited the benefit of the doubt long ago when it comes to trusting its promises about the safety of 737 MAX, and the FAA must reject its brazen request to cut corners in rushing yet another 737 MAX variant into service," she wrote in the letter sent late Wednesday to FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker.
The letter was penned on the same day that Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with legislators in the wake of an incident earlier this month in which the door panel of a 737 Max 9 blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight.
The FAA has grounded all 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft since the event, but announced Wednesday that it had cleared the way for the aircraft to return to service following a rigorous inspection and maintenance process.
Alaska Airlines said it expected to begin bringing its 737 Max 9 planes back into service on Friday, while United Airlines said its fleet would begin returning to service on Saturday.
The issue in Duckworth's letter centers around an anti-ice system on 737 Max engines that Boeing identified and self-reported to the FAA last year. The regulator approved Boeing's guidance to mitigate the problem on the existing fleet of Max aircraft while Boeing engineered a fix by May of 2026.
The FAA issued an Airworthiness Directive in August 2023 that it said "was prompted by a report indicating that use of engine anti-ice (EAI) in dry air for more than five minutes during certain environmental and operational conditions can cause overheating of the engine inlet inner barrel beyond the material design limit, resulting in failure of the engine inlet inner barrel and severe engine inlet cowl damage."
The FAA told airlines that pilots should limit the use of the anti-ice system to less than five minutes until Boeing's fix was available.
While the issue has never occurred in-flight, Boeing determined it was theoretically possible under specific weather conditions, and in a worst-case scenario, could result in components breaking off.
An uncontained engine failure on a previous generation Boeing 737 resulted in debris puncturing the cabin of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 in April 2018, resulting in a passenger being partially sucked out of the plane and killed.
Boeing is seeking a limited-time exemption that would also apply to the 737 Max 7 as it goes through the certification process. The exemption would also allow Boeing to deliver the Max 7 to airlines once certified. The company has more than 4,300 orders for the 737 Max family of aircraft. The issue also exists on 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft already flying.
It is a waiver Duckworth says Boeing should be denied.
"It is such a bold face attempt to put profits over the safety of the flying public," Duckworth said in an interview with CBS News. "They want a special permission to be allowed to continue to use this component with a known problem on an aircraft that has yet to be certified and allow it to be put into service. You cannot have a new baseline where we're going to certify aircraft that are not safe to fly."
Boeing declined to comment on the letter. CBS News has also reached out to the FAA for comment.
- In:
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Boeing
- Boeing 737 Max
- Tammy Duckworth
Kris Van Cleave is CBS News' senior transportation and national correspondent based in Phoenix.
TwitterveryGood! (34484)
Related
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Forecasters cancel warnings as Lee begins to dissipate over Maritime Canada
- Denny Hamlin wins at Bristol, defending champ Joey Logano knocked out of NASCAR playoffs
- North Korean state media says Kim Jong Un discussed arms cooperation with Russian defense minister
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Snow, scorpions, Dr. Seuss: What Kenyan kids talked about with top U.S. kids' authors
- Private Louisiana zoo claims federal seizure of ailing giraffe wasn’t justified
- Hundreds protest against the Malaysian government after deputy premier’s graft charges were dropped
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- NFL odds this week: Early spreads, betting lines and favorites for Week 3 games
Ranking
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Shedeur Sanders sparks No. 18 Colorado to thrilling 43-35 win over Colorado State in 2 OTs
- British media report rape and emotional abuse allegations against Russell Brand
- Ukraine is the spotlight at UN leaders’ gathering, but is there room for other global priorities?
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Landslide in northwest Congo kills at least 17 people after torrential rain
- Fulton County judge to call 900 potential jurors for trial of Trump co-defendants Chesebro and Powell
- Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani out for remainder of season with oblique injury
Recommendation
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
Book excerpt: Astor by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe
Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner removed from Rock Hall leadership after controversial comments
Home health provider to lay off 785 workers and leave Alabama, blaming state’s Medicaid policies
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Snow, scorpions, Dr. Seuss: What Kenyan kids talked about with top U.S. kids' authors
Texas AG Ken Paxton was acquitted at his impeachment trial. He still faces legal troubles
Mark Dantonio returns to Michigan State football: 'It's their show, they're running it'