A Boeing manager tried to stop the production of the company's embattled 737 Max jet over safety concerns before the first of two deadly crashes that triggered a global grounding of the narrow-body plane.
Peter DeFazio, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, released the allegations in a statement ahead of a hearing on Wednesday, when Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg will testify in the second of two congressional hearings.
"We now know of at least one case where a Boeing manager implored the then-vice president and general manager of the 737 programme to shut down the 737 Max production line because of safety concerns, several months before the Lion Air crash in October 2018," Mr DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat, said in the statement that was released by the committee.
Mr Muilenburg faced a tough grilling by US policymakers at a hearing in Capitol Hill on Tuesday, where politicians asked what Boeing knew about the flight control system, known as MCAS, that was implicated in the two deadly crashes and why it delayed releasing internal 2016 messages that described erratic behaviour of the software in a simulator.
The two hearings are among the most high-profile congressional hearings scrutinising aviation safety in years, intensifying pressure on Mr Muilenburg who is battling to regain the confidence of airline customers and return the Max to service.
The two crashes, in Ethiopia and off the cost of Indonesia, killed 346 people and shook public trust in the jet, which is in its seventh month of ban.
On Wednesday, Mr Muilenburg will face a second congressional hearing in front of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, headed by Mr DeFazio.
"Something went drastically wrong, a total of 346 people died, and we have a duty to fix it," Mr DeFazio said.
Despite the tough questions from policymakers on Tuesday, Boeing shares closed 2.4 per cent higher at $348.93 on Tuesday at market close in New York.
On Tuesday, Mr Muilenburg took a remorseful tone, admitting that "we know we made mistakes and got some things wrong. We own that, and we are fixing them".
Family members, holding photos of victims of the crash, were seated three rows behind Mr Muilenburg during his testimony.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Lecce v SPAL (6pm)
Bologna v Genoa (9pm)
Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)
Juventus v Brescia (6pm)
Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)
Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
