Major revamp planned for FAA’s oversight process

The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to undergo a major revamp of its airplane construction oversight this summer after questions were raised about how it manages inspections.

The U.S. Transportation Department’s inspector general will reveal the plans during a Senate aviation subcommittee hearing scheduled for Wednesday. He will further discuss his office’s findings of management weaknesses with a number of the agency’s oversight processes over the years.

The subcommittee will also hear from the acting head of the FAA and the nation’s top transportation safety investigator on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a key House chairman wants an independent review of Boeing’s proposed fixes to its 737 Max aircraft, which has been grounded worldwide for two weeks after crashes that killed a combined 346 people.