(CNN) Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao had an emotional first meeting Tuesday in her Washington offices with family members of Boeing 737 Max crash victims.

The meeting came six months to the day after the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which followed the Lion Air Flight 610 tragedy last October. Together, the crashes killed 346 people.

Eleven families met with the head of the agency that oversees the Federal Aviation Administration, which will ultimately determine if and when the 737 Max commercial jet will fly again. The gathering, intended to last 45 minutes, stretched to more than two hours and was described as emotionally heavy.

Family members were in tears as they talked about their loved ones, according to Michael Stumo, whose daughter Samya was killed in the Ethiopian crash.

Stumo told CNN there was emotion "on both sides. The secretary and her staff became emotional, and at one point we had to call for a second box of tissues."

Read More