The Federal Aviation Administration’s self-certifying practice, called Organization Designation Authorization, was expected to come under scrutiny Wednesday at a Senate subcommittee hearing.
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to revamp oversight of airplane development after the two deadly crashes of Boeing’s new 737 Max raised questions of whether the FAA has gone too far in letting companies regulate themselves, according to testimony prepared for a Capitol Hill hearing on Wednesday.
For decades, the FAA has delegated some authority for certifying new aircraft to the manufacturers, reducing government costs and, defenders say, speeding the rollout of new models.
But in the wake of the air disasters in Ethiopia and Indonesia in less than five months, that practice has been seized on as evidence of an overly cozy relationship between the FAA and the industry.
The self-certifying practice, called Organization Designation Authorization, was expected to come under scrutiny Wednesday at a Senate subcommittee hearing during which the acting FAA administrator, the Transportation Department inspector general and the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board were scheduled to appear.
In testimony prepared for the hearing, Inspector General Calvin Scovel III said the FAA plans to revamp its oversight of aircraft development significantly by July.
