The US Department of Transportation (DoT) has created an expert committee to review the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s certification procedures of new aircraft.

The committee will also review the certification of Boeing 737 Max aircraft, which was involved in two fatal crashes in less than five months.

Pending appointment of other committee members, former head of the US Transportation Command Darren McDew and former President of the Air Line Pilots Association Lee Moak will serve as interim co-chairs.

“This review by leading outside experts will help determine if improvements can be made to the FAA aircraft certification process.”

US Secretary of Transportation Elaine L Chao said: “Safety is the number one priority of the department, and this review by leading outside experts will help determine if improvements can be made to the FAA aircraft certification process.”

The new committee will be an independent body and will present the findings and recommendations directly to the secretary and the FAA Administrator.

The committee will be established in the structure of Safety Oversight and Certification Advisory Committee (SOCAC), which was formed under Section 202 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.

The SOCAC is an advisory committee that provides recommendations on issues faced by the aviation industry related to the FAA’s safety oversight and certification programmes.

It will comprise individuals representing various stakeholders in the aviation industry.

A Boeing 737 MAX-8 was involved in Ethiopian Airlines Flight crash that killed all 157 people on board while a Lion Air-operated aircraft crashed into the sea moments after taking off, killing all 189 passengers.