Senator Tammy Duckworth is urging the Federal Aviation Administration to take a closer look at how it responds to what she says is a pattern by Boeing of failing to disclose flight deck features of the 737 Max to pilots, according to a letter to be sent Thursday and obtained exclusively by CBS News.
Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois and chair of the Senate's Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation Subcommittee, is calling on FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker to investigate why Alaska Airlines pilots were unaware the plane's cockpit door was designed to automatically open during a rapid depressurization — which is exactly what occurred on flight AS1282 when a door panel on a Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out mid-flight in early January.
"Boeing's failure to disclose this feature is chilling given its history of concealing 737 MAX information from pilots," Duckworth writes.
Following the January 5 incident with the door panel, Boeing updated the Flight Crew Operating Manual to include that the cockpit door opens in order to equalize pressure between the flight deck and cabin in the event of a rapid depressurization of the passenger cabin.
"We agree with Senator Duckworth. As a fellow pilot, she understands the importance of informing pilots about safety critical designs and systems." said 737 Captain Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilot Association, which represents American Airlines pilots. "This nondisclosure of the cockpit door design just adds to Boeing's rap sheet of withholding information from pilots. The FAA has got to stop this bad behavior before tragedy strikes, again."
But NTSB investigators say it was not only the pilots of Alaska Airlines flight 1282 who were unaware of the cockpit door design to swing open during a depressurization. It caught the flight attendants off guard as well as they were responding to the emergency in the cabin.
"When safety culture is broken down and the expediency of shoveling profits to Wall Street becomes the mission — this is what you get. It's not okay. It's not sustainable," Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, representing 50,000 flight attendants at 19 airlines including Alaska Airlines, told CBS News. "And we as a nation cannot allow this great American company to be torched by shareholder capitalism. We stand with the workers trying right now to take back the company they built."
Senator Duckworth is urging the FAA to assess potential changes needed for the cockpit of the 737 aircraft following concerns about the design of the door. She also suggests that the regulator should contemplate taking action against the company.
"The unexpected feature led to the cockpit door opening during rapid depressurization, catching the flight crew off guard and causing the loss of important items," Duckworth stated. "It is crucial for the flight crew to have full knowledge of all aspects of the flight deck. Boeing's repeated failure to disclose features on the MAX poses a serious risk. This marks the third instance where Boeing has neglected to inform 737 MAX pilots about a key flight deck feature. This pattern of behavior is concerning, and the FAA should not overlook this latest incident but rather consider taking regulatory measures based on Boeing's history of deceptive practices."
Duckworth raises concerns about Boeing's handling of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) in the 737 Max, pointing out that it was not included in the flight manual and pilots were not informed about the non-functional Angle of Attack (AOA) disagree alert on most Max 8 airliners. The design flaw in the MCAS system was identified as a contributing factor to the two fatal crashes of the 737 Max 8 aircraft, along with the undisclosed AOA issue that was only revealed after the second crash. The AOA sensor played a role in both incidents.
"The manufacturer's blatant disregard for type design requirements and lack of transparency with pilots is alarming, even though this feature was not deemed safety-critical," Duckworth expresses. "What is even more concerning is the FAA's failure to take any civil enforcement action. If Boeing faces no repercussions from the FAA for such blatantly inappropriate behavior, what motivation does the company have to change its practices?"
Boeing responded to CBS News, stating its "commitment to ongoing transparency and information sharing with regulators and operators."
In light of recent events, Duckworth has urged the FAA to reject a crucial safety waiver for the 737 Max 7 and Max 10, which would have allowed these aircraft to be certified despite an issue with the anti-icing system in all Max engines. Following her letter to the FAA, Boeing withdrawn the waiver request and promised not to pursue certification for either plane until a resolution is found. These delays have led to Southwest Airlines reducing its planned plane capacity for 2024 and United Airlines halting pilot recruitment, encouraging some current pilots to take unpaid leave due to the reduced aircraft deliveries from Boeing.
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