Safety experts, lawmakers and organizations are questioning Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 aircraft after a second fatal crash in five months. An Ethiopian Airlines flight heading to Nairobi, Kenya on Sunday, March 10 plunged to the ground shortly after take-off killing all 157 people on board. Despite calls for immediate grounding and recertification, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has stated MAX 8 jets still are allowed to operate in the United States. "The FAA's 'wait and see' attitude risks lives as well as the safety reputation of the US aviation industry,” Paul Hudson, FlyersRights.org president and longtime member of the FAA Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee said in a statement. “Even assuming this design defect should not by itself take the aircraft out of service, the failure to warn airlines and pilots of the new feature, and the inadequacy of training requirements, necessitate an immediate temporary grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 8." The aircraft already has been restricted from entering China and Indonesia following an October 2018 Lion Air crash off the coast of Indonesia that killed 189 passengers. Investigators discovered that pilots were unable to override an automatic control system (MCAS or Maneuvering Character Augmentation System) that Boeing had not clearly disclosed. The automatic control system automatically guides the MAX 8 nose down if it determines the flight is at risk. Although the investigation into Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines crash is far from over, early signs indicate the same issue contributed to this latest incident. Major airlines with “strong safety records” operated both MAX 8 jets that crashed. Both the October’s Lion Air aircraft and the Ethiopian airlines flight went down less than 15 minutes after take-off, according to a CNN report. President Donald Trump surmised that technology may be to blame.  “Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly,” President Trump tweeted in response. “Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!” After the most recent crash, German, Italy and the UK are among the countries that have temporarily banned the MAX 8 from its airspace pending a safety evaluation. Boeing released a statement, saying it has been “working closely” with the FAA on a software enhancement for its fleet that will be released by April. “Safety is a core value for everyone at Boeing and the safety of our airplanes, our customers’ passengers and their crews is always our top priority,” the company said on its website. “The 737 MAX is a safe airplane that was designed, built and supported by our skilled employees who approach their work with the utmost integrity.” Let's block ads! (Why?)