1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Boeing 737 Max to Fly Again, Clouded by Certification Concerns December 7, 2020 On November 18, 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an order rescinding its March 2019 order that had grounded the Boeing 7
2、37 Max passenger jet for nearly 20 months. Congress continues to debate legislation (H.R. 8408, S. 3969, and S. 3866) seeking to reform aircraft certification in an effort to avoid future safety stand-downs of this magnitude involving the design of highly complex transport aircraft. Two high-profile
3、 fatal accidents, the crash of Lion Air flight 610 in October 2018 and the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 in March 2019, prompted the unprecedented worldwide grounding of the 737 Max as investigators and engineers sought to identify and remedy a common set of causes. Both accidents were link
4、ed to an automated flight control system feature called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). The design of the 737 Max included larger engines than earlier versions of the 737. Under certain circumstances, these engines could cause an unintended pitch up of the airplanes nose.
