At a Senate subcommittee hearing chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) in March, members repeatedly pressed acting Federal Aviation Administrator Daniel K. Elwell about the process the agency followed for certifying the Boeing jet. Elwell defended the system, which relies on Boeing’s participation, saying the arrangement has worked for decades.

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Investigators examining both crashes, have zeroed in on an automated anti-stalling feature designed to push the plane’s nose down if the aircraft is at risk of stalling. Boeing added the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) to the 737 Max planes to compensate for design changes. But many 737 Max pilots said they were unaware of the system until the first crash.

Preliminary reports n the Oct. 29 crash of a Lion Air flight, and the March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet, indicated that both sets of pilots struggled to control the MCAS system, which appeared to be triggered by false readings from an “angle-of-attack” sensor. In all, 346 people died in the two crashes.

Boeing executives have continued to maintain the 737 Max is safe and that software updates and new training programs will ensure it is even safer. At a meeting with shareholders this week Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg reiterated that the company “owns” some responsibility for improving the safety of the 737 Max, but stopped short of saying there was any flaw in the plane’s design.

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DeFazio’s committee is one of several entities that are investigating both the FAA and Boeing’s role in the process. The Department of Justice’s criminal division has launched its own investigation. In addition, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao has directed the agency’s inspector general to audit the certification process. Chao has also created a special review committee to examine certification procedures for Boeing’s jets and those made by other manufacturers.

DeFazio and Larsen have also said they want the FAA to bring in third-party experts to examine “any recommended technical modifications and any proposed new training requirements for pilots,” which would cover the changes connected with the MCAS system.

A separate FAA committee, which includes members from NASA and civil aviation authorities from Ethiopia, Canada and Indonesia, is meeting in Seattle this week. Their work is independent of other Department of Transportation inquiries.