Boeing 737 MAX victims' families urge more steps by FAA as U.S. lifts flight ban

Record ID: 1587196

  • Title: Boeing 737 MAX victims' families urge more steps by FAA as U.S. lifts flight ban
  • Date: 18th November 2020
  • Summary: REDDING, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 18, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITTNEY RIFFEL, WIDOW OF MELVIN RIFFEL WHO DIED IN THE ETHIOPIAN CRASH, SAYING VIA ZOOM: "You know, we're fighting for our families and for public safety, and we're putting our voice out there about Boeing and the FAA and their safety culture, and how they put profits before human safet
  • Embargoed: 2nd December 2020 20:25
  • Keywords: 737 MAX jet Boeing FAA approval aviation disaster aviation safety crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia resume commercial flights survivors victim's families
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Air Accidents,Disaster/Accidents,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA003D53IGQV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: CLIENTS: PLEASE REFER TO EDIT 3175 FOR MORE EXTENSIVE B ROLL FROM NOVEMBER 17, 2020 OF BOEING MAX PLANES IN STORAGE AT A BOEING FACILITY
    The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted the longest jet grounding in commercial aviation history on Wednesday (November 18), giving the green light to Boeing's 737 MAX after fatal crashes halted flights 20 months ago, but relatives of crash victims denounced the move saying more needs to be done to ensure the planemaker is held accountable.
    "My family and the crash families are very upset that this plane is going back in the air," said Michael Stumo, the father of Samya Stumo who died when a Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed while flying Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.
    "They haven't addressed the inherent instability of this aircraft which is because of its actual configuration," he told Reuters via Zoom.
    The 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people within five months in 2018 and 2019 and triggered a hailstorm of investigations, frayed U.S. leadership in global aviation and cost Boeing some $20 billion.
    Families of the crash victims urged U.S. lawmakers in September to ensure the planemaker is held accountable for the accidents. Chicago-based Boeing is facing around 100 lawsuits by families of 157 victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash and has argued that because the aircraft was certified by the FAA, it is immune from liability, court filings showed.
    Ethiopian crash victims said on Tuesday they felt disappointment and renewed grief following the FAA's decision to return the aircraft to service.
    The families have said manufacturers should not be allowed to "hide behind" FAA certification when a certified airplane turns out to be defective.
    "It still requires more work than what they've already put into it to make it safe," said Brittney Riffel, the widow of 29-year-old Melvin Riffel who died in the Ethiopia crash alongside his younger brother and who is also among the families suing the planemaker.
    "I am really stressed out," she told Reuters about her reaction to the plane's ungrounding. "I can't seem to get it out of my head... I'm worried about this happening again to somebody else," she said.
    The young widow last saw her husband in Australia during a family holiday while she was 7-months pregnant. Melvin Riffel and his brother continued their overseas travels together while Brittney returned home to California, not realizing she would never see her husband again.
    The FAA released final details of the software, system and training upgrades Boeing and airlines must complete before carrying passengers.
    The agency is requiring new pilot training and software upgrades to deal with a stall-prevention system called MCAS, which in both crashes repeatedly shoved down the jet's nose as pilots struggled to regain control.
    But the families say deeper structural issues in the planes still need to be addressed.
    The FAA, which has faced accusations of being too close to Boeing in the past, said it plans in-person inspections of some 450 737 MAXs built and parked during the flight ban which could take at least a year to complete, prolonging the jets' deliveries.
    Investigative reports have faulted Boeing and the FAA on the plane's development and for concealing information about MCAS from pilots, while a criminal probe is under way at the U.S. Department of Justice. Boeing also faces lawsuits from victims' families.
    U.S. lawmakers are also weighing proposals to reform the jet safety certification process.
    The U.S. planemaker's best-selling jet will make its comeback facing headwinds from a resurgent coronavirus pandemic, new European trade tariffs and mistrust of one of the most scrutinized brands in aviation.
    (Production: Mana Rabiee)
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