Will Send Pilots And Engineers For Its Own Certification Flights

EASA is not willing to just go along with the FAA when it comes to recertification of the Boeing 737 MAX. The European aviation regulator said Tuesday that it plans to send its own pilots and engineers to conduct their own test flights before allowing the airliner to resume service in Europe.

The Seattle Times reports that EASA is also not sold on Boeing's plan to require two Angle of Attack sensors for the MCAS on the airplane, favoring a system that would require agreement of three independent sensors.

The move is a major shift in certification reciprocity that has been the norm for years between the FAA and international regulators. The issues were brought to light by EASA executive director Patrick Ky (pictured) in remarks made in a video presented recently to the Transport Committee of the European Parliament. “The FAA is in a very difficult situation. When they will say, this (airplane) is good to go, it’s very likely that international authorities will want a second opinion, or a third opinion.

“That was not the case one year ago. I think that’s going to be a very strong change in the overall worldwide hierarchy or relationship between the different authorities.”

EASA is not demanding that Boeing address its concern for a third AOA sensor before allowing a return to service. But the criticism is more specific that the regulator has been in the past.

Installing a third AOA sensor would likely be a prolonged and expensive proposition for Boeing. The fix would not only affect new airplanes, but would also require a retrofit on aircraft that had already been delivered.

Boeing declined to comment on the AOA sensor issue, according to the report.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report