President Trump has officially grounded all Boeing MAX 8 and 9 planes flying in the U.S., he announced Wednesday.
The move comes after a deadly Sunday plane crash called the Boeing 737 MAX 8's safety into question. China, Canada, and the entire EU had already grounded the planes, leaving America as a major holdout until Wednesday's announcement.
At the time of the announcement, 40 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 were in the air over the continental U.S., per NBC News' David Gura. All those planes would go to their destinations and then be grounded "until further notice," Trump said, categorizing his announcement as an "emergency order." Trump also said he talked with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, saying they were "in agreement with the action."
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The move comes after Sunday's crash, which killed all 157 people onboard, as well as an October crash that killed 189. A preliminary investigation into issues with the Boeing model revealed five pilot complaints about the plane's autopilot system during takeoff, which were filed to the Federal Aviation Administration. Trump's previous comments on the issue only extended to tweeting how "complex" it is to fly a plane nowadays. The FAA and Boeing previously defended the aircraft.
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