Press Releases

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Subcommittee on Aviation Ranking Member Garret Graves (R-LA) today released the following statements on the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) safety recommendations regarding the Boeing 737 MAX 8:

“I received a briefing from the NTSB yesterday and will continue to review their recommendations in detail, but I’m pleased to see that the recommendations focus on the human-machine interface – from design, through development, certification, and operation of the aircraft,” said Sam Graves.  “As airplanes have become more automated and complex, there is a growing risk of the erosion of airmanship.  As a pilot, this is something I have been concerned about for some time – how dependent pilots are on technology to fly planes versus how much pilots can rely on their fundamental training to take manual control of aircraft when technology fails.  This question is becoming more and more important globally.  All countries need to ensure that safety and training are never sacrificed amid rapid expansion in the commercial aviation industry.  I can’t repeat this fact enough – a well-trained pilot remains the most important safety feature in the cockpit.”

“I appreciate the NTSB’s work to urge a reassessment of how the complex automated systems which are ubiquitous in today’s aircraft do not impact passenger safety,” said Garret Graves.  “It is crucial that we ensure that these increased efficiencies don’t negatively affect the technical readiness of our pilots. These recommendations will support a better understanding of how pilots across this international industry respond to failures and ensure they are put in the best position to quickly and safely recover from them.”