US senators on Tuesday introduced legislation that would reform the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) aircraft certification process. The Aircraft Safety and Reform Act of 2020 would give the FAA more authority over the aircraft certification process.
The bill, the first attempt at reform after the Boeing 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, allows the FAA to hire and dismiss safety inspectors, engineers, and other employees of aircraft manufacturing companies engaged in FAA certification tasks. It also includes provisions that ensure that human factors, such as pilot recognition of and response to cockpit alerts, are included in safety assessments for new aircraft.
