Congressional hearings begin into the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight of Boeing before and after two deadly crashes of its 737 Max, which claimed a total of 346 lives.
Among those expected to testify before the Senate aviation subcommittee Wednesday is the Transportation Department's inspector general, who is leading a review of the FAA and Boeing.
Calvin Scovel is expected to reveal plans to significantly revamp the FAA's oversight of airplane construction.
Acting FAA Administrator Daniel Elwell will testify that Boeing submitted an application on Jan. 21 spelling out changes it planned to make to crucial flight-control software on the 737 Max - the same system that is suspected of playing a role in the Oct. 29 crash of a Lion Air jet in Indonesia and the March 10 plunge of an Ethiopian Airlines Max.
Meanwhile, a key House chairman wants an independent review of Boeing's proposed fixes to its 737 Max aircraft, which has been grounded worldwide for two weeks after crashes that killed a combined 346 people.
On Tuesday, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max jet made a safe emergency landing in Orlando, Florida, after experiencing an apparent engine problem.
The crew declared an emergency after taking off from Orlando International Airport around 2:50 p.m., and landed the plane safely. No passengers were on board. The aircraft was being ferried to Victorville, California, where Southwest is storing the airplanes.
The FAA says it's investigating but it appears the emergency was not related to anti-stall software suspected in the two fatal crashes.
(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
