Two crashes in five months have put the spotlight on the plane involved in both, the Boeing 737 Max 8. On NPR Tuesday, David Greene asked former FAA accident inspector David Soucie whether he'd get on one of these planes, and the answer was telling. "I personally would," said Soucie, but "what I probably wouldn't do today is put my family on a 737 8." He said he wasn't even sure why he'd make that distinction, but he would. "My 5-year-old granddaughter, there's no reason to put her in that level of risk at this time if I had to fly." Related developments:
- Grounded in Europe: Britain, France, Germany, and the entire European Union suspended all flights by 737 Max 8s on Tuesday, reports Reuters. They joined China, Australia, Malaysia, Oman, and Indonesia on this rapidly growing list.
- No FAA change: The FAA on Monday issued a "continued airworthiness" certificate for the Max 8, reports Bloomberg. The agency referenced Sunday's crash in Ethiopia and the earlier one in Indonesia in October. “External reports are drawing similarities between (Sunday's) accident and the Lion Air Flight 610 accident on October 29, 2018,’’ the FAA said. “However, this investigation has just begun and to date we have not been provided data to draw any conclusions or take any actions.’’