Representatives from at least nine countries and regions will participate in a panel that the US Federal Aviation Administration convened for the purpose of reviewing the Boeing 737 Max’s flight control software.
Led by veteran US transportation safety investigator Chris Hart, the FAA’s “Joint Authorities Technical Review” panel (JATR) will first convene on 29 April, says the FAA on 19 April.
The group will likely conclude its review in 90 days, adds the FAA, signaling the 737 Max’s grounding might not lift until the second half of the year.
The non-US representatives include “experts” from civil aviation authorities, including those overseeing airlines that have already received, or have orders for, Boeing 737 Max.
Delegates hail from the aviation agencies of Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and United Arab Emirates.
“The JATR team will conduct a comprehensive review of the certification of the aircraft’s automated flight control system,” says the FAA. “The team will evaluate aspects of the 737 Max automated flight control system, including its design and pilots’ interaction with the system, to determine its compliance with all applicable regulations and to identify future enhancements that might be needed.”
Boeing
The FAA established the technical review panel earlier this month, making Hart its chair.
Hart has been a National Transportation Safety Board member for roughly 11 years in two stints since 1990. He was NTSB chair from 2015 to 2017.
Additionally, Hart was deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and worked at the FAA as assistant administrator for system safety and deputy director for air traffic safety oversight.
Other US members of the review panel include representatives from the FAA and NASA.
The FAA did not immediately respond to a request to disclose names of panelists other than Hart.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
