FAA criticized at hearing on 737 Max safety

Acting chief defends handling of review of Boeing planes which took five years

Delegating aspects of safety certification to Boeing is "not working as Congress intended" and declaring 737 Max jets safe to fly created a "credibility problem" for the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, in view of two recent fatal crashes, the chairman of a House of Representatives panel charged at a hearing on Wednesday.

"Congress must find answers to what happened in these two accidents," said Representative Rick Larsen, a Washington state Democrat who chairs the Aviation Subcommittee. "The committee will not hesitate to act to assure the safety of the US air system," he said.