Accidents
U.S. Transportation Secretary Calls for IG Probe into Max
Department of Transportation head Elaine Chao orders a formal audit of the certification process for the Boeing 737 Max 8.
The production rate at Boeing's 737 line in Renton, Washington, will slow considerably in coming weeks, from 52 to 42 per month. (Photo: Boeing)
The production rate at Boeing's 737 line in Renton, Washington, will slow considerably in coming weeks, from 52 to 42 per month. (Photo: Boeing)

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine Chao has asked the DOT Inspector General's office to conduct a formal audit of the certification process for the Boeing 737 Max 8, the department confirmed Tuesday. The memo comes amid previously unconfirmed reports first published in the Wall Street Journal that the DOT’s Inspector General had begun a probe into the nature of the relationship between the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing during the certification of the airplane.