AIRLINE SAFETY - Did the FAA Compromise Safety?

Why do you ask?  Does the FAA's policy of giving aircraft manufacturers to be the primary approver of their own aircraft sound like a good idea, really?

"Did the FAA’s deference to Boeing compromise safety of 737 MAX?" PBS NewsHour 7/29/2019

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Boeing 737 MAX passenger jetliners in March, after the plane’s second deadly crash in five months.  But questions remain about why the agency didn’t act sooner.  Now, a New York Times investigation suggests the FAA’s role in the 737 MAX's approval process may have compromised its safety.  John Yang talks to investigative reporter Natalie Kitroeff.

John Yang (NewsHour):  Judy, The Times found that FAA engineers were increasingly sidelined and kept in the dark about key developments during the approval process of the 737 MAX, and that FAA managers often deferred to Boeing.

In fact, after the first deadly crash, the newspaper says FAA officials realized they didn't fully understand the automated system now blamed for helping send the two planes into fatal nosedives.