By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Two U.S. legislators asked the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General for a review of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), oversight. Boeing Co ‘s reaction to the 737 MAX aircraft.

The chair of the House of Representatives Transportation Committee, Peter DeFazio, and Rick Larsen, who chairs a subcommittee on aviation, said the request came after the FAA failed to provide an adequate response to a November letter seeking answers about Boeing actions before two Boeing 737 MAX crashes in five months that killed 346 people and led to the plane’s 20-month grounding.

Boeing did not respond to our request for comment. The FAA has not yet commented.

Boeing reached a deal with the Justice Department to defer prosecution in January 2021. This agreement included the payment of $2.5 Billion in compensation and fines arising from the crashes of the 737 MAX. The Justice Department successfully defended the agreement against objections raised by relatives of some victims.

In a January 24th letter, Steve Dickson, FAA Administrator, stated that the Justice Department investigation had led to the FAA not pursuing any investigations against anyone within Boeing Company (NYSE :).”).

In November, the lawmakers asked the FAA to explain what they had done in order for Boeing employees to be held accountable for their actions related the MAX.

A former Boeing chief technical officer pilot was accused of fraud in October for allegedly lying to federal regulators when he evaluated the company’s 737 MAX aircraft. Pilot has pleaded not guilty.

DeFazio questioned the emphasis on a single pilot. He stated in October that “Senior executives throughout Boeing were responsible for creating the culture of concealment which ultimately led to the 737 MAX crash and the deaths of 346 innocent persons.”

Boeing’s violation of the approved 737 MAX model design was cited by lawmakers. There is also evidence of an internal scheme to minimise the impact of MCAS (a critical safety system that can be linked to both fatal accidents) which has been shown to have occurred.

The FAA currently examines a variety of Boeing plane-related issues.