A US House committee identified many deficiencies in the 737 Max A House committee issued a scathing report on Wednesday

A US House committee identified many deficiencies in the Federal Aviation Administration approval process for the 737 Max 

A House committee issued a scathing report on Wednesday questioning whether Boeing and government regulators have recognised the problems that caused two deadly 737 Max jet crashes and whether either will be willing to make significant changes to fix them.

Staff members from the Democrat-controlled Transportation Committee blamed the crashes that killed 346 people on the "horrific culmination" of failed government oversight, design flaws and a lack of action at Boeing, despite knowing about problems.

The committee identified many deficiencies in the Federal Aviation Administration approval process for new jetliners. But both the agency and Boeing have said certification of the Max complied with FAA regulations, the 246-page report said.

"The fact that a compliant airplane suffered from two deadly crashes in less than five months is clear evidence that the current regulatory system is fundamentally flawed and needs to be repaired," the staff wrote in the report released early on Wednesday.

The report highlights the need for legislation to fix the approval process and deal with the FAA's delegation of some oversight tasks to aircraft manufacturer employees, said Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, a Democrat representing Oregon.

"Obviously, the system is inadequate," DeFazio said. "We will be adopting significant reforms."

He wouldn't give details of possible changes, saying committee leaders are in talks with Republicans about legislation. He said the committee would not scrap the delegation programme, and he hopes to reach agreement on reforms before year's end.