NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on Ethiopian Plane Crash (all times local):
4:05 p.m.
The Transportation Department says it’s creating a special panel of experts to review Federal Aviation Administration procedures for approving new planes including the Boeing jet involved in two deadly crashes.
The department said Monday the committee will be led by retired Air Force Gen. Darren McDew and Lee Moak, former president of the Air Line Pilots Association. Other members haven’t been named yet.
Boeing and the FAA are already the subject of investigations by the Justice Department, the Transportation Department’s inspector general, and congressional committees.
The FAA certified the Boeing 737 Max jet in 2017 and let it keep flying after a deadly crash in October in Indonesia that investigators believe may be related to a new flight-control system that pushed the plane’s nose down repeatedly. A second crash occurred this month in Ethiopia, leading regulators around the world to ground all Max jets.
Preliminary satellite data indicates that both doomed planes made erratic climbs and descents before crashing shortly after takeoff. It’s likely to be months before investigators in Indonesia and Ethiopia issue conclusions on what caused the accidents.
