Suspect planes should remain grounded say families of 157 killed in crash

Mark Pegram was commenting as families of the 157 people killed in the crash called on the Federal Aviation Authority in the United States to prevent hundreds of 737 MAX 8 aircraft taking to the air again this year after being grounded worldwide for 18 months.

The bereaved presented a 2,000-name petition to the FAA today, together with a letter calling on the authorities to carry out a full airworthiness review before allowing the planes to resume flying.

They fear insufficient safety checks and improvements have been made on the 737 MAX following two almost identical crashes - in Indonesia and Ethiopia - which in total claimed the lives of 346 passengers and crew.

“Our main intention with this letter is to ensure that lessons are learned from the 737 MAX tragedies, so that no families have to mourn loved ones in a new crash from such a faulty design,” said Mark, whose son Sam was 25 when he died.

“Only a thorough and complete assessment of the whole aircraft with all issues and fixes fully and transparently implemented would give us confidence that the MAX could be safe.

“This of course is only part of the challenges we are facing as families. Maybe we find some ways to appear more normal to others, but we are hurting inside.”

The families are demanding a range of urgent measures, including an independent review board, to assess the plane’s safety before it is returned to service.

Among their concerns are that “fundamental aerodynamic flaws” in the aircraft are not being addressed.

“Boeing could help by being open and honest,” added Mr Pegram.