JATR and unstated item at least implied
On a pedestrian level, the JATR can be seen as pouring high-octane gasoline on an already intensely hot conflagration. At a legal conference last week, in response to a question, one of the most significant and prominent plaintiff attorneys retained in the Ethiopian crash lawsuits said that discovery directed to the JATR as constituted in this country, and probably (through foreign discovery processes) to the other national CAAs, was in process. (This, if reports of the conference dialogues are accurate.)
But for all the JATR document does say, isn't there a critical element left out but unmistakably implied? Namely, who is going to oversee, in an integrated and cohesive manner, all the divergent entities now involved?
After Air Canada 759 in San Francisco narrowly missed what surely would have been a real-life runway conflagration, the Chairman of NTSB, at a public appearance, replied to a question about moving safety recommendations from and out of reports, into implementation. Specifically regarding the possible role fatigue had played in the misalignment on approach in the AC 759 incident, the Chairman indicated that pertinent regs had resulted, from the aftermath of Colgan Air.
Sounded straightforward enough (leaving alone questions as to lingering fatigue problems, especially for aviators commuting to bases). But in the unraveling of the tangled mess of the 737 MAX, who is going to QB, quarterback what needs to be changed?
No player seems properly or sufficiently situated: not the fed criminal investigators; not the DOT advisory panel Sec'y Chao convened; not the Boeing executives nor its Board (pardon tbe gross understatement); not the Congressional committees despite the strong reputations of their professional staffs; not the FAA - right, I had to include it, even though...; and not NTSB, because among other reasons its work and mission are too crucial to ask it to "stand here and move the earth."
Are we moving toward a group of unquestionably high integrity pros, akin to the Columbia Space Shuttle Orbiter accident investigation panel? And maybe that's the best hope for a coordinating and full-authority "in charge" group to lead, control and direct the U.S. effort at overhauling the certification process and most likely some other things as well. In fact, the official in charge of liaison between the chairman of the Columbia investigation board and the rest of official Washington now is the U.S. Permanent Representative, with Ambassador rank, to ICAO and the ICAO Council.
It's maybe not as much fun as the usual "forum" dialogues, but heck, this has turned into quite a big old mess.