Senate committee report criticizes FAA oversight of Novictor Helicopters
By Elan Head | December 22, 2020
Estimated reading time 12 minutes, 17 seconds.
A report released last week by the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation highlights allegations of misconduct at the Honolulu Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) in Hawaii, finding that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) managers there improperly granted regulatory and policy deviations to local aerial tour company Novictor Helicopters.
A photo posted to the Novictor Helicopters Facebook page in August of this year shows a Robinson R44 on a tour flight in Hawaii. This tail number was involved in a nonfatal accident on Sept. 18, 2018. Although the accident is still under investigation, preliminary reports suggest the helicopter experienced a mechanical issue in flight.
US Senate Report Harshly Criticizes Boeing & FAA Over MAX Crisis
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The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has released its final report after months of investigations on the Boeing 737 MAX debacle. The report noted some troubling findings, including faults from both Boeing and the FAA.
The US Senate Commerce Committee faulted Boeing and the FAA over the MAX debacle. Photo: Getty Images
The report
The US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation began an investigation in April of 2019, just a few weeks after the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crash that led to a flurry of countries grounding the MAX, pending a formal review.
Attempting to cover up : 5 key findings by US senators after Boeing 737 Max crashes - world news hindustantimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hindustantimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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‘Attempting to cover up’: 5 key findings by US senators after Boeing 737 Max crashes [Hindustan Times, New Delhi]
Dec. 19 Boeing officials “inappropriately coached” test pilots during efforts to recertify 737 Max aircraft after they were grounded in March 2019 following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people, US Senate investigators said in a report. A simulator test was conducted for over a year by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a part of the recertification process to ensure that the aircraft could fly safely.
According to the report, the staff of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation started receiving information from whistleblowers after the second 737 Max crash, detailing numerous concerns related to aviation safety. The investigators said that the scope and breadth of the probe quickly expanded beyond the first allegations and dozens of whistleblowers revealed common themes.
Boeing, US Regulator Cover Up May Have Contributed to 737 MAX Crashes - US Senate Panel Sat 19th December 2020 | 03:50 AM
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2020) Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) covered up information that may have had a part in the deadly 737 MAX crashes, the US Senate Committee on Commerce said in an investigation report. During 737 MAX recertification testing, Boeing inappropriately influenced FAA human factor simulator testing of pilot reaction times involving a Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) failure, the report said on Friday.
The Commerce Committee s investigation also found that insufficient training could have contributed to the faulty certification process for the 737 Max aircraft, the report said.