Collins favors temporary grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 8 airplanes
Press Release, Congressman Chris Collins
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Chris Collins (NY-27) released a letter today to the Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao calling for a temporary grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 8 Aircraft.
Faulty software on the aircraft is the focus of investigations after two fatal airline crashes in the past six months. In October 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed in Indonesia, killing all 189 passengers. And, this past Sunday, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed shortly after take-off, killing 157 passengers.
“We must be certain that these aircraft are safe for flight,” Collins said in a news release. “It has been more than a decade since the last fatal airline crash in the United States and we cannot take any chances when it comes to the safety of Americans.”
When he was the Erie County Executive, Collins was one of the first on the scene at the crash site of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in Clarence. Working with Congress and the Transportation Department, the families of the Flight 3407 victims have worked tirelessly to promote air safety. Their efforts have paid off, as the United States has not witnessed a commercial airline crash since.
“We owe it to the American public to ensure the safest skies possible,” added Collins. “Until all questions are answered about this specific aircraft, it should be grounded until we are one hundred percent certain it is safe to fly.”
More than a dozen countries across the world including, the European Union, China, and Indonesia have grounded the jets following reports of faulty software on the aircraft. Leaving the United States and Canada as the only two nations still flying the aircraft. In the United States, American Airlines and Southwest say they will continue to fly the aircraft.
The letter urges Secretary Chao to move quickly to ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft until the investigations have concluded and Boeing can take action to ensure these aircraft are safe to fly.
