Draft Report Also Identifies Pilot Errors And Maintenance Mistakes

Design flaws by Boeing, lapses in oversight on the part of the FAA, and a string of pilot errors led to the crash of a Lion Air 737 MAX into the Java Sea almost a year ago, according to draft conclusions prepared by Indonesian investigators.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the details of the draft conclusions have not been disseminated, but they have been shared with the FAA and NTSB for comment. Boeing and the U.S. government agencies continue to work with Indonesian authorities, and plan to travel to that country to finalize the document. While the NTSB is not expected to have major disagreements with the draft, Boeing and the FAA are concerned that the documents will place too much emphasis on the design of the aircraft and the FAA's certification process.

The NTSB is expected to make safety recommendations calling for improvements in cockpit training and crew decision making. The board is also expected to have suggestions about the certifications of new airliners, including a reevaluation of the FAA's procedures delegating some certification authority to manufacturers.

Indonesia is also preparing safety recommendations related to the Boeing 737 MAX. None of those recommendations will be binding.

The FAA hopes that international aviation safety regulators will lift the grounding of the 737 MAX shortly after it recertifies the airplane, however EASA has said that it will conduct its own certification analysis before clearing the airplane to fly in European airspace, which could add months to the process.

The final version of the Indonesian report is expected to be released early in November, according to the report.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report