The U.S. Transportation Department said that it still finding "continuing weaknesses" in how the country's aviation regulator has overseen Boeing's recertification on the Max aircraft.
The agency's Assistant Inspector General for aviation audits, Mathew Hampton, said in a report that the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight of Boeing's manufacturing operations was inadequate.
He added that the aircraft manufacturer was still vulnerable to "future high-risk safety concerns" even after the FAA has certified the fixes for Boeing's troubled 737 Max jets.
"While FAA and Boeing followed the established certification process for the 737 Max 8, we identified limitations in FAA's guidance and processes that led to a significant misunderstanding," Hampton said in his report.
The report has not yet been officially released to the public but several news publications have reportedly been able to review it.
Federal auditors accused the FAA of not fully understanding the faulty flight control system that was the cause of the two deadly 737 Max crashes that killed 346 passengers and crew members. The Transportation Department issued 14 recommendations aimed at restoring confidence in the FAA's certification process.
The transport department claimed in the 63-page report that the FAA is suffering from "weak management and oversight." The report said that the FAA's approval process did not adequately deal with the problems found on Boeing's existing planes.
Boeing's on-board flight control system, called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, was found to have forced the two planes to nose dive and crash following a malfunction.
The transport department alleged that key FAA personnel, including engineers, were not aware of the detailed changes that were made by Boeing to its MCAS system during the certification process.
The FAA said that it agreed with all of the recommendations and it plans to make immediate changes to address all of the transport department's concerns. The FAA said that it should be able to complete all of the department's recommendations before 2025.
Boeing also issued a response, stating that it plans to make improvements and conduct more training for its employees. Boeing added that it will also be enhancing its safety reporting protocols.
"We appreciate the Inspector General's review of the 737 Max design and certification, as well as the recommendations to strengthen and improve the regulatory process," Boeing said.
