Previous MAX program manager and chief engineer in closed-door congressional interviews stand by Boeing’s design of the plane

Two high-ranking executives who oversaw Boeing Co. development of the 737 MAX told House investigators the company’s design process wasn’t flawed despite two fatal crashes, a contrast to other company leaders’ concessions of past engineering errors.

The Chicago plane maker is approaching the final steps of getting its beleaguered MAX fleet returned to service. Lawmakers, safety experts and global regulators have previously identified technical and management lapses in the airplane’s development.

Transcripts of closed-door interviews in May with Keith Leverkuhn and Michael Teal, who directly managed MAX development through the aircraft’s 2017 debut, are part of a final congressional report slated to be released this coming week detailing a series of company and government missteps during and after certification of the MAX.

Their stance shows that nearly two years after the first fatal crash, there are differing views inside Boeing and a continuing debate across parts of the industry about the significance of pilot mistakes versus Boeing design flaws as factors in the MAX crashes.

Excerpt from WSJ
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