An American Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 flight from Los Angeles lands at Reagan National Airport. Image Credit: ReutersWashington: US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on Tuesday formally directed an internal watchdog office to audit the certification process for Boeing’s 737 Max 8 aircraft following recent deadly crashes. Nearly 350 people have died aboard 737 Max 8 aircraft in crashes less than five months apart in Indonesia and Ethiopia, with the most recent occurring March 10 outside Addis Ababa. Preliminary reports have identified similarities in between the two crashes, in which the planes plunged to earth shortly after takeoff. In a Tuesday memo to Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel, Chao said Boeing had requested an “amended type certification” for the 737 Max 8 in January 2012, which it received in March 2017.

Source: Ethiopian News March 19, 2019 22:18 UTC