The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) met with nearly 50-international regulators from around the world in Montreal Monday for a briefing on the status of the Boeing 737 Max 8.
Prior to that meeting, Administrator Steve Dickson sat down with family members from Canada who lost loved ones in the tragic crash of flight 302 in Ethiopia that crashed just six minutes after taking off for Nairobi, Kenya, on March 10.
“I think we just have to keep on going and making sure that everybody is aware of what we want to see happen and meeting with the other members of Congress and senators and to make sure the process is revised, so that is a wholesome process,” explains Chris Moore, who lost his daughter, an environmental activist on-board flight 302. “Right now, I don’t have very much confidence in the way planes are certified.”
Moore and Paul Njoroge sat outside the regulators’ meeting, which was not open to the public, holding pictures of their family members who died in the crash as well as photos of the others who lost their lives on that flight.
There is concern surrounding Boeing’s proposed software fixes and new pilot training. Those impacted say that’s simply not enough; they’d like to see the planes grounded until the fleet is re-certified and the two investigations completed.
“I’ll live with the pain, I’ll never forget this it’s not something that will ever go away,” explains Njoroge, who lost his wife, three children and mother in-law. “I do this for my family, this is what my wife would want me to do and I’ll continue to do it if it’s the last thing I do in my life.”
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The 737 Max 8 fleet has remained grounded worldwide following the two-crashes within five-months. The company is providing an update to international regulators, outlining changes it’s making to the flight control system, which was implicated in both of the crashes.
WATCH (Aug. 22, 2019): Boeing to ramp-up production of 737 MAX in anticipation of regulatory approval
“We feel that there are still stones that are left unturned through this whole process and why the Max 8 was pushed or hurried along and we want to ensure that that is all addressed as well and find out exactly what happened,” adds Moore.
Meanwhile, a $50 million fund for compensating families of people killed in crashes of Boeing 737 Max planes has begun taking claims. Fund officials said Monday they have begun accepting applications with a deadline of Dec. 31 for submitting claims.
Boeing is providing money for the fund, which works out to nearly $145,000 for each of the 346 people who died in crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
Dozens of families are suing the Chicago-based company, which said relatives won’t have to drop their lawsuits to get compensation from the fund.
“There’s a phrase here in the U.S. about product liability and its called graveyard engineering. Look, the fact is products get better after people die but no one wants to be on the front-end of it and so here you want Boeing to be accountable and make changes,” explains lawyer Bob Clifford, who is representing some of the families in a consolidated lawsuit that involves 97 families.
Administrators of the fund include Kenneth Feinberg, who oversaw compensation for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
WATCH (Aug. 9, 2019): Canadian family of Ethiopian Airlines crash victim calls on FAA, Boeing to investigate 737 MAX
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