As the president faced criticism about his administration’s slowness to act, the White House sought to shift attention back to the FAA.
By Michael Laris , Michael Laris Transportation reporter Email Bio Follow Josh Dawsey , Josh Dawsey Reporter covering the White House Email Bio Follow Luz Lazo and Luz Lazo Transportation reporter covering Washington's Metro, buses, Capital Bikeshare and taxis, and the region's road network Email Bio Follow Ashley Halsey III Ashley Halsey III Reporter covering national transportation Email Bio Follow March 17 at 1:35 PM On the third day after an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8...
Finally, at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, word came from President Trump that the U.S., too, would bar the planes from flying.Boeing 737 Max jets are grounded at Sky Harbor International Airport, Thursday, March 14, 2019 in Phoenix. The U.S. issued an immediate emergency order Wednesday, grounding all 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft in the wake of the crash of an Ethiopian Airliner. It was extraordinary for a president to intervene in matters typically left to the FAA or the Department of Transportation.
A senior White House official said the FAA had repeatedly told the president in phone calls that there was no reason to ground the planes and that Boeing had a record for being safe. This official said the FAA showed the president how many Boeing planes were in the sky, told him the particular model had been flying for years and urged against a quick grounding.An FAA spokesman declined to discuss what was communicated to the president.
“When we say we have no basis to ground the aircraft, we have no basis to ground the aircraft,” one FAA official said Tuesday, when the European Union and others were breaking with the United States.[Black boxes from Boeing 737 Max 8 arrive in France, along with key information from Ethiopian Airlines flight]
But Ray LaHood, a former GOP congressman from Peoria, Ill. who also served as a transportation secretary under Obama, emphasized that the vast majority of FAA staff are career employees focused on ensuring the U.S. aviation system is as safe as possible. Once potential problems with the planes are fixed, “I think this will be a small little blip on the total reputation of the agency,” he said.
Elwell, who said he was in “constant consultation” with Chao, presented the new data as a late-breaking, game-changing development that required a major reversal. An administration official argued that the FAA had originally been dismissive of the satellite data, reflecting the agency’s strong push to defend the well-connected company’s safety record.
Some experts and analysts say they are confident the decision to ground the Boeing 737 Max was made by experts at the FAA based on the new evidence, which included a device found in the wreckage that indicated the jet was configured to dive. That finding marked another similarity with the Indonesia crash.“I have never seen the White House come up with an announcement like this,” said Jeff Guzzetti, who until last month was director of the FAA Accident Investigation division.
Hart said the grounding of the 737 Max represented “uncharted territory” for the U.S. and one of its plane manufacturers. What is the threshold for grounding a plane in a scenario where automation doesn’t work as intended or pilots fail to grasp the complexities of automated systems? he wondered.
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