Originally Posted by
Euclideanplane
For as long as the 737 MAX are grounded, and assuming other models are not affected by the same issue, the slowing down of the safety process actually seems more helpful than not, especially if the planes would otherwise be sent up soon with another quick software hack.
Normally, I think, the grounding reduces immediate risk, but the pressure to approve a fix and get the airplanes flying is stronger than ever. Not sure, but I feel encouraged that the third party scrutiny by DOJ and DoT investigations might make things a bit more transparent. We’ll see.
Considering how blame tends to be assigned, I wouldn’t want to be an FAA or Boeing certification engineer right now. When the delegation and oversight processes are scrutinized, management (current and retired) will skillfully deflect responsibility.