U.S. lawmakers seeking records on 737 MAX, 787 production issues

Two key U.S. lawmakers said on Tuesday they are seeking records from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on production issues involving the 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen, who chairs a subcommittee, said they were seeking records after multiple issues recently emerged "regarding the 737 MAX as well as the 787, including electrical problems, the presence of foreign object debris in newly manufactured aircraft, and other issues."

The panel conducted an extensive investigation into the 737 MAX after two fatal crashes led to a 20-month grounding that was lifted in November. The committee's report was part of the reason Congress approved an overhaul of the FAA's aircraft certification program in December.

The pair want the FAA and Boeing to "provide records regarding production-related issues and the FAA's oversight of Boeing's manufacturing operations."

The FAA did not immediately comment.

Boeing, which said it had seen a letter from DeFazio and Larsen and would respond, last week won approval from the FAA for a fix of an electrical grounding issue that had affected 109 737 MAX airplanes worldwide.

The top three U.S. 737 MAX operators - Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines - removed more than 60 jets from service after the notice from Boeing.

American said Tuesday 10 of its 18 affected 737 MAX planes had resumed flying and the remainder expected over the next few days.

The FAA said in September it was investigating manufacturing flaws involving some Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Boeing said in August airlines operating its 787 Dreamliners removed eight jets from service as a result of two distinct manufacturing issues.

In March, the FAA said it was taking "a number of corrective actions" to address multiple 787 production issues, including retaining authority to issue approval certificates for four specific aircraft.