Board Chair Robert Sumwalt Reveals Plans At Senate Commerce Committee Hearing

NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt told the Senate Commerce Committee last Wednesday that the board plans to issue a package of recommendations concerning the certification process for the 737 MAX within the next 60 days.

Sumwalt (pictured) did not give specifics on the recommendations, according to a report from Bloomberg News. “We will let the facts drive us, but I am told that our staff is working on a recommendation package that I would suspect we would have out in the next 60 days regarding design certification issues,” he said during the hearing.

Sumwalt is being considered for a second term as chairman of the NTSB. The board is assisting in the investigations of accidents in Indonesia and Ethiopia involving Boeing's newest variant of its workhorse single-aisle airliner.

While the NTSB does not have any regulatory authority, it is charged with making safety recommendations to various agencies and private companies related to investigations. Compliance with the recommendations is not mandatory.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report