FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell on April 4 defended the qualifications of US FAA Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) involved with the Flight Standardization Board (FSB) for the Boeing 737 MAX 8, saying that “all of the flight inspectors who participated in the [FSB] certification activities were fully qualified.”

FAA is launching a joint task force with NASA and international regulators into the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and its maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS), part of an effort to “ensure the safety” of the jetliner, the agency announced April 3.

An interim report into the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 crash said the flight crew followed proper procedures in response to uncommanded nose-down inputs, but they could not keep the aircraft from descending into the ground, Ethiopia's top transport official said April 4.

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) could boost retention and morale of its 34,200 entry-level officers by making key changes in hiring and training efforts, according to an audit by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Federal lawmakers in the US are examining training standards of FAA Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) who may have participated in the development of Boeing’s 737 MAX 8, adding to the overlapping list of federal and congressional probes into the jetliner’s development and certification.