While countries around the world ground the Boeing 737 America protects its military-industrial complex

US refuses to ground Boeing 737 Max crash aircraft

BBC,

12 March, 2019

The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has said it will not suspend Boeing 737 Max aircraft despite mounting pressure from senators and workers' unions.

The FAA said a review showed "no systemic performance issues" and there is no basis for grounding the aircraft.

An Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed on Sunday killing all 157 people on board, in the second fatal accident involving the 737 Max 8 model in five months.

A wave of countries and blocs have banned the plane from their airspace.

They include the UK, China, the European Union and Australia.

Ted Cruz, a Republican senator who chairs a subcommittee on aviation and space, said: "I believe it would be prudent for the US likewise to temporarily ground 737 Max aircraft until the FAA confirms the safety of these aircraft and their passengers."

Democratic senators Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal have written to the FAA - which they referred to as "our aviation safety cop on the beat" - asking that the Boeing 737 Max should be grounded "until the agency can conclusively determine that the aircraft can be operated safely".

Democrat presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren said that the FAA should follow other nations' lead "immediately" and "get these planes out of the sky".

And Republican senator Mitt Romney said: "Out of an abundance of caution for the flying public, the FAA should ground the 737 Max 8 until we investigate the causes of recent crashes and ensure the plane's airworthiness."

But the FAA said that other civil aviation authorities had not "provided data to us that would warrant action".

Image Copyright @FAANews@FAANEWS

Report

Boeing has confirmed that for the past few months it has been developing a "flight control software enhancement" for the aircraft, but says it is confident they are safe to fly.

'Caution'

Airline workers also want the FAA to ground the Boeing 737 Max.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union said it is calling on the FAA "to temporarily ground the 737 MAX fleet in the US out of an abundance of caution".

Image copyrightANADOLU AGENCY

Its president Sara Nelson, said: "The US has the safest aviation system in the world, but Americans are looking for leadership in this time of uncertainty.

"The FAA must act decisively to restore the public faith in the system.

The Allied Pilots Association told its members: "It is important for you to know that if you feel it is unsafe to work the 737 Max, you will not be forced to fly it."

Southwest Airlines and American Airlines - both major operators of the Boeing 737 Max - are continuing to use the planes.

Southwest Airlines is offering passengers scheduled to fly on one of the Boeing planes the chance to change their bookings.

American Airlines said its "standard policies for changes still apply".

Pilots Complained About Boeing 737 Max 8 For Months Before Second Deadly Crash

ZeroHedge,

17 March, 2019

Several Pilots repeatedly warned federal authorities of safety concerns over the now-grounded Boeing 737 Max 8 for months leading up to the second deadly disaster involving the plane, according to an investigation by the Dallas Morning News. One captain even called the Max 8's flight manual "inadequate and almost criminally insufficient," according to the report. 

"The fact that this airplane requires such jury-rigging to fly is a red flag. Now we know the systems employed are error-prone — even if the pilots aren't sure what those systems are, what redundancies are in place and failure modes. I am left to wonder: what else don't I know?" wrote the captain. 

At least five complaints about the Boeing jet were found in a federal database which pilots routinely use to report aviation incidents without fear of repercussions. 

The complaints are about the safety mechanism cited in preliminary reports for an October plane crash in Indonesia that killed 189. 

The disclosures found by The News reference problems during flights of Boeing 737 Max 8s with an autopilot system during takeoff and nose-down situations while trying to gain altitude. While records show these flights occurred during October and November, information regarding which airlines the pilots were flying for at the time is redacted from the database. -Dallas Morning News

One captain who flies the Max 8 said in November that it was "unconscionable" that Boeing and federal authorities have allowed pilots to fly the plane without adequate training - including a failure to fully disclose how its systems were distinctly different from other planes. 

An FAA spokesman said the reporting system is directly filed to NASA, which serves as an neutral third party in the reporting of grievances. 

"The FAA analyzes these reports along with other safety data gathered through programs the FAA administers directly, including the Aviation Safety Action Program, which includes all of the major airlines including Southwest and American," said FAA southwest regional spokesman Lynn Lunsford. 

Meanwhile, despite several airlines and foreign countries grounding the Max 8, US regulators have so far declined to follow suit. They have, however, mandated that Boeing upgrade the plane's software by April. 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who chairs a Senate subcommittee overseeing aviation, called for the grounding of the Max 8 in a Thursday statement. 

"Further investigation may reveal that mechanical issues were not the cause, but until that time, our first priority must be the safety of the flying public," said Cruz. 

At least 18 carriers — including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, the two largest U.S. carriers flying the 737 Max 8 — have also declined to ground planes, saying they are confident in the safety and "airworthiness" of their fleets. American and Southwest have 24 and 34 of the aircraft in their fleets, respectively. -Dallas Morning News

"The United States should be leading the world in aviation safety," said Transport Workers Union president John Samuelsen. "

And yet, because of the lust for profit in the American aviation, we're still flying planes that dozens of other countries and airlines have now said need to grounded"

FAA Holds Off on Grounding Boeing 737 Max Planes Citing 'No Systemic' Issues

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Tuesday FAA that Boeing's 737 MAX passenger airliner "shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis" for grounding any of the beleaguered aircraft owned by US air carriers.

A Tuesday statement by Acting FAA Administrator Daniel K Elwell said the agency "continues to review extensively all available data and aggregate safety performance from operators and pilots of the Boeing 373 MAX."

"Thus far, our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft," the statementcontinues. "Nor have other civil aviation authorities provided data to us that would warrant action. In the course of our urgent review of data on the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, if any issues affecting the continued airworthiness of the aircraft are identified, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action."

With Boeing’s 737 still flying in the U.S., how do we know if Trump is protecting us?

As usual, New Zealand pulls the chain on this. A few hours ago they weren't going to do anything, but they have changed their minds.

CivilAviation Authority grounds Boeing 737 MAX

The Civil Aviation Authority is suspending Boeing 737 MAX jets from flying to or from New Zealand after two crashes in five months.

Only one airline, Fiji Airways, is affected and no other airlines in New Zealand fly the Boeing 737 MAX.

I'm almost willing to wager that you weren't aware of this...

Crashed Ethiopian plane carried at least 19 UN officials

The Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed on Sunday morning was carrying at least 19 United Nations officials, some of whom were en route to a major UN-sponsored environmental conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

The World Food Program, the UN Refugee Agency and the Food and Agriculture Organisation were among UN agencies reporting personnel losses.

And, maybe forgotten about this ...

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash: Was the cure for Aids lost along withJoep Lange and 100 top researchers?

There are fears the cure for Aids could have been lost with 100 of the “best and brightest” scientists and researchers on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.


Joep Lange, a world-renowned researcher and former president of the International Aids Society, was with the group heading to the global Aids 2014 conference in Melbourne, Australia.

The exact number of scientists he was travelling with has not been confirmed but delegates in Sydney were told that emails indicted around 100 attendees were on the ill-fated plane.