Former FAA safety inspector urges caution over Boeing 737: ‘I’ve never, ever done this’

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A former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspector urged travelers to exercise caution over the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after a series of crashes.

“I’ve never, ever done this before,” David Soucie said on CNN’s “Newsroom” when asked if Americans should be concerned about riding the plane.

{mosads}”I’ve never said that, ‘Hey, it’s unsafe to fly a particular model’ but in this case, I’m going to have to go there. I just looked at the flight data of that aircraft: It’s strikingly similar, same issues we had with the Max Air. So yeah, I would watch for that airplane.”

A Boeing 737 Max 8 in Ethiopia crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday, killing all 157 people on board.

It was the second time in recent months that a Boeing 737 Max 8 has been involved in a fatal crash. In October, the same model crashed in Indonesia, killing 189 people.

In response to these accidents, authorities in China, Indonesia and Ethiopia ordered the planes to be grounded Monday.

The American National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is sending a team to assist in the investigation of the Ethiopian Airlines flight, but the agency has not yet made a statement on whether it will recommend the U.S. halt the use of the aircraft.

A representative for the NTSB directed questions about Soucie’s remarks to the FAA.

In a statement to The Hill, the FAA said they are continuing to monitor the situation and said it would issue a “Continued Airworthiness Notification.”

“An FAA team is on-site with the NTSB in its investigation of Ethiopia Flight 302.  We are collecting data and keeping in contact with international civil aviation authorities as information becomes available,” the agency said.
 
“Today, the FAA will issue a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CANIC) for Boeing 737 MAX operators. The FAA continuously assesses and oversees the safety performance of U.S. commercial aircraft.  If we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action.” 
 
Updated at 3:22 p.m.
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