I have some experience with the aviation authorities, and they are generally competent. And I would say maybe even slightly too nitpicky, just like the general public is very nitpicky about every aircraft accident or incident. It is possible that they just didn't know about the issue it.
Did you know, for example, that every bird collision, no matter how small the bird was, has to be registered as a flight incident and investigated? Or that every TCAS warning is a flight incident too, even if everyone knew exactly what was going on and there was no real danger? And I do not think it's wrong, you hit a bird every blue moon and you get extra hour or a few hours of paperwork, it's okay with me. The point is they're very detailed.
That’s rather silly. The FAA allowed those planes to fly in the US, with the flaws that lead to those deaths. They also manipulated test results in order to facilitate recertification of the planes after the crashes.
And because of that the FAA was entirely right to type-certify the 737 MAX (which through international agreements is widely recognized) and it's just totally random that they after the crashes grounded them and required lengthy rework?
Did you know, for example, that every bird collision, no matter how small the bird was, has to be registered as a flight incident and investigated? Or that every TCAS warning is a flight incident too, even if everyone knew exactly what was going on and there was no real danger? And I do not think it's wrong, you hit a bird every blue moon and you get extra hour or a few hours of paperwork, it's okay with me. The point is they're very detailed.