Federal Aviation Administration

===Boeing 737 MAX controversy===
{{See also|Boeing 737 MAX groundings}}
As a result of the March 10, 2019 [[Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302]] crash and the [[Lion Air Flight 610]] crash five months earlier, most airlines and countries began grounding the [[Boeing 737 MAX 8]] (and in many cases all MAX variants) due to safety concerns, but the FAA declined to ground MAX 8 aircraft operating in the U.S.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/12/africa/airlines-suspend-boeing-flights-intl/index.html |title=US and Canada are the only two nations still flying many Boeing 737 MAX planes |agency=[[CNN]]|date=March 12, 2019 |access-date=March 13, 2019 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412025015/https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/12/africa/airlines-suspend-boeing-flights-intl/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On March 12, the FAA said that its ongoing review showed "no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft."<ref name="crash"/> Some U.S. Senators called for the FAA to ground the aircraft until an investigation into the cause of the Ethiopian Airlines crash was complete.<ref name="crash">{{cite news |title=U.S. Senate to hold crash hearing as lawmakers urge grounding Boeing 737 MAX 8 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-airline-usa/u-s-senate-to-hold-crash-hearing-as-lawmakers-urge-grounding-boeing-737-max-8-idUSKBN1QT1WR |work=[[Reuters]]|date=March 12, 2019 |access-date=March 13, 2019 |archive-date=July 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710175443/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-airline-usa/u-s-senate-to-hold-crash-hearing-as-lawmakers-urge-grounding-boeing-737-max-8-idUSKBN1QT1WR |url-status=live}}</ref> U.S. Transportation Secretary [[Elaine Chao]] said that "If the FAA identifies an issue that affects safety, the department will take immediate and appropriate action."<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. to mandate design changes on Boeing 737 MAX 8 after crashes |url=https://www.euronews.com/2019/03/12/us-to-mandate-design-changes-on-boeing-737-max-8-after-crashes |publisher=Euronews |date=March 12, 2019 |access-date=March 13, 2019 |archive-date=May 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502052942/https://www.euronews.com/2019/03/12/us-to-mandate-design-changes-on-boeing-737-max-8-after-crashes |url-status=live}}</ref> The FAA resisted grounding the aircraft until March 13, 2019, when it received evidence of similarities in the two accidents. By then, 51 other regulators had already grounded the plane,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-03-14 |title=Editorial: Why was the FAA so late to deplane from Boeing's 737 Max? |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trump-faa-737-max-grounded-20190314-story.html |access-date=2021-07-20 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US |archive-date=July 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720135818/https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trump-faa-737-max-grounded-20190314-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and by March 18, 2019, all 387 aircraft in service were grounded. Three major U.S. airlines--[[Southwest Airlines|Southwest]], [[United Airlines|United]], and [[American Airlines]]—were affected by this decision.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/13/business/canada-737-max.html |title=Trump Announces Ban of Boeing 737 Max Flights |last1=Austen |first1=Ian |date=March 13, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 13, 2019 |last2=Gebrekidan |first2=Selam |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913163144/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/13/business/canada-737-max.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Further investigations also revealed that the FAA and Boeing had colluded on recertification test flights, attempted to cover up important information and that the FAA had retaliated against whistleblowers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/18/22189609/faa-boeing-737-max-senate-report-coverup-tests-whistleblowers |title=FAA and Boeing manipulated 737 Max tests during recertification |date=December 18, 2020 |access-date=August 25, 2022 |archive-date=July 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710123547/https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/18/22189609/faa-boeing-737-max-senate-report-coverup-tests-whistleblowers |url-status=live }}</ref>