WASHINGTON, D.C. — An analysis by the Federal Aviation Administration found the Boeing 737 Max was flagged as a potential danger before the second deadly crash in March.
The development came out during testimony before a House committee Wednesday.
Family members of the loved ones killed on the Lion Air crash in October 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March held up photos of the victims during the hearing.
"I believe production problems at the Renton factory may have contributed to these two tragic crashes,” former senior manager for Boeing Edward Pierson testified.
Pierson said he reported serious concerns about production quality and poor operating conditions at the factory in Renton, Washington months before the Lion Air crash and again after the second crash.
"Those warnings were ignored,” Pierson said.
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The FAA administrator testified about changes made since he took the job in August.
Stephen Dickson pointed to new certification processes and more training.
"I'm not going to sign off on this airplane until I fly it myself,” Dickson said.
Tensions grew as lawmakers questioned Dickson about what went wrong and why the planes were not grounded after the internal FAA review predicted more deadly crashes involving the 737 Max following the first crash. They were only grounded after the second crash.
"I don't want to blame others,” Dickson said.
"It’s not about blame,' sir. It’s about accountability,” Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D, N.Y.) responded.
Pierson is calling for Congress to direct the FAA to investigate the Boeing factory in Renton.
"The U.S. regulators investigation of these crashes has been as disappointing as Boeing's insistence that it had no systematic quality or safety issues."
The FAA said there is no known timeline yet as to when the airplanes could be back in the air.
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