Ethiopia Airlines Updates: Boeing 737 Crash Kills at Least 150
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — An Ethiopian Airlines flight carrying more than 150 people crashed early Sunday shortly after departing from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, en route to Nairobi, Kenya, the airline said, killing everyone onboard. The plane was identified by its manufacturer, Boeing, as one of its newest models, a 737 Max 8. The cause of the crash was unclear, but a Lion Air flight using the same model of plane went down in Indonesia in October and killed 189 people.
© Jemal Countess/Getty Images A memorial arch on Thursday at the site of the jet crash in Ethiopia. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The captain of a doomed Ethiopian Airlines jetliner faced an emergency almost immediately after takeoff from Addis Ababa, requesting permission in a panicky voice to return after three minutes as the aircraft accelerated to abnormal speed, a person who reviewed air traffic communications said Thursday.
“Break break, request back to home,” the captain told air traffic controllers as they scrambled to divert two other flights approaching the airport. “Request vector for landing.”
Boeing 737 black boxes found as planes grounded after Ethiopian Airlines crash
Two flight data recorders from Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 have been found, as airlines around the world ground Boeing 737 MAX 8s like the one which crashed Sunday, killing all 157 people on board. require(["medianetNativeAdOnArticle"], function (medianetNativeAdOnArticle)
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}); The plane's Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) were recovered from the wreckage, Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement.
Controllers also observed that the aircraft, a new Boeing 737 Max 8, was oscillating up and down by hundreds of feet — a sign that something was extraordinarily wrong.
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All contact between air controllers and the aircraft, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 to Nairobi, was lost five minutes after it took off on Sunday, the person said.
The person who shared the information, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the communications have not been publicly released, said the controllers had concluded even before the captain’s message that he had an emergency.
The account of the cockpit communications shed chilling new detail about the final minutes before the plane crashed, killing all 157 people aboard. The crash, which has led to a worldwide grounding of Max 8s, was the second for the best-selling Boeing aircraft in less than five months.
Ground the Boeing 737 Max 8, members of Congress implore the FAA after deadly crash
Their calls follow the decision by authorities in the United Kingdom to ground the plane.
Regulatory authorities in the United States and Canada say similar patterns in the trajectories of both planes may point to a common cause for the two crashes. But they cautioned that no explanation had been ruled out yet, and said the planes might have crashed for different reasons.
An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed on March 10 en route from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Nairobi, Kenya with 149 passengers and eight crew on board, Ethiopian Airlines said.
(Pictured) Rescuers work at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight crash, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 11.
Forensics experts comb through the dirt for debris at the crash site of the Ethiopian Airlines operated Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, at Hama Quntushele village in Oromia region, on March 14, 2019.
Ethiopian relatives of crash victims mourn at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, near Bishoftu, south-east of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, Thursday, March 14, 2019.
Pilot of Crashed Jet Reported Flight-Control Problems
The pilot of the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed reported that he was having flight-control problems and wanted to return to the airport, the chief executive of the airline said. In recordings of the pilot’s conversations with controllers, he didn’t indicate any external problems with the jet or the flight, like a bird collision, CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told The Wall Street Journal. Get news and analysis on politics, policy, national security and more, delivered right to your inbox The pilot “reported back to air-traffic controllers that he was having flight-control problems” and wanted to return to Addis Ababa, Mr.
Ethiopian relatives of crash victims mourn and grieve at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, near Bishoftu, south-east of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, Thursday, March 14, 2019.
There's No Alternative to the Boeing 737 MAX
While two of the aircraft have crashed in the past five months, the long-run impact on the aerospace company's financial performance is likely to be fairly small.
Family members of the flight's main pilot, Captain Yared Getachew, carry photographs of him as they mourn at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, near Bishoftu, south-east of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, Thursday, March 14, 2019.
Boeing 737 Max 8 black boxes from Ethiopian Airlines flight crash sent to France for examination
The flight data and cockpit voice recorders from doomed Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 arrived in Paris Thursday.
An Ethiopian relative of a crash victim throws dirt in her own face after realizing that there is nothing physical left of her loved one, as she mourns at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, near Bishoftu, south-east of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, Thursday, March 14, 2019.
Ethiopian Airlines says crash victim DNA tests will take up to 6 months
Ethiopian Airlines says crash victim DNA tests will take up to 6 months
Ethiopian relatives of crash victims mourn and grieve at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, near Bishoftu, south-east of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, Thursday, March 14, 2019.
Doomed Boeing Jets Lacked 2 Safety Features That Company Sold Only as Extras
As the pilots of the doomed Boeing jets in Ethiopia and Indonesia fought to control their planes, they lacked two notable safety features in their cockpits. One reason: Boeing charged extra for them. Sign Up For the Morning Briefing Newsletter For Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers, the practice of charging to upgrade a standard plane can be lucrative. Top airlines around the world must pay handsomely to have the jets they order fitted with customized add-ons. Sometimes these optional features involve aesthetics or comfort, like premium seating, fancy lighting or extra bathrooms.
Candles burn before a flower-adorned memorial arch erected at the site of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 crash on March 14, 2019, in Ejere, Ethiopia.
Two men carry suitcases containing the flight recorders from the Ethiopian jet, into the French air accident investigation authority, Thursday, March 14, 2019, in Le Bourget, north of Paris.
Forensic experts work at the crash site of the Ethiopian Airlines operated Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, at Hama Quntushele village in the Oromia region, on March 13, 2019.
A bouquet of flowers is placed in front of a pile of debris at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash on March 13, 2019, in Ejere, Ethiopia.
Relatives react at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, near Bishoftu, south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
Wreaths and floral installations stand next to piles of wreckage at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
Investigators and recovery workers inspect a second engine after it is recovered from a crater at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash on March 13, 2019, in Ejere, Ethiopia.
Ethiopian religious leaders pray at the house of crash victim air hostess Sara Gebremichael, 38, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
Kebebew Legesse, the mother of Ethiopian Airlines cabin crew Ayantu Girmay mourns at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town Bishoftu, on March 12.
Ethiopian policemen search through the passengers belongings at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash on March 12.
A man holds passengers' passports found at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash on March 12.
A page of a flight crew operations manual is seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, on March 12.
Colleagues mourn during a memorial ceremony held for the crew who died in the Ethiopian Airlines accident at the Ethiopian Pilot Association Club in Addis Ababa, on March 11.
A relative reacts as he leaves the information center following the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya March 10.
Wreckage is seen at the site of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, on March 11.
The United Nations flag is pictured at half mast in memory of the victims of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 11.
Members of the search and rescue mission look on as a digger searches for dead bodies of passengers at the scene of plane crash.
Delegates at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) world environmental forum observe a minute's silence in memory of the victims of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, at the United Nations complex within Gigiri in Nairobi, Kenya on March 11.
Relatives and friends of Sara Gebremichael, 38, a crew leader on the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane that crashed, mourn at her house in Addis Ababa on March 11.
Mourners attend a memorial service held by an association of Ethiopian airline pilots, at which framed photographs of seven crew members were on display, in Addis Ababa, on March 11.
Villagers stand at the scene of plane crash.
Engine parts are seen at the scene of plane crash.
Ethiopian Federal policemen stand at the scene of plane crash.
A boarding pass is seen at the scene of plane crash.
People walk past a part of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 10.
A man carries a piece of debris on his head at the crash site of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 on March 10.
Cabin serviettes are seen at the scene of the plane crash on March 10.
Passenger Ahmed Khalid (L), who missed his Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 while connecting from Dubai, is received by his father Khalid Bzambur (R) at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on March 10, in Nairobi, Kenya.
People use their mobile phones near the flight information board displaying the details of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on March 10, in Nairobi, Kenya.
A flight information board displaying the details of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 is seen March 10.
Relatives of the victims involved in a plane crash board a bus at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, on March 10, in Nairobi, Kenya.
Wreckage lies at the scene of the crash.
Tractors excavate the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash on March 10.
Rescue workers are seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, March 10.
A Kenyan woman is comforted by a Red Cross worker after getting information about her loved ones that were on board the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya, March 10.
A Red Cross team works amid debris at the crash site.
Family members of the victims react to news of the plane crash on March 10.
People walk at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash on March 10.
The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam, looks at the wreckage of the plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 10.
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam holds a press briefing at the headquarters of Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa, March 10.
A woman whose fiance was on board waits for news at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya on March 10.
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Slideshow by photo services
The new disclosures about the last moments of Flight 302 came as pilots were discussing what they described as the dangerously high speed of the aircraft after it took off from Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport.
Pilots were abuzz over publicly available radar data that showed the aircraft had accelerated far beyond what is considered standard practice, for reasons that remain unclear.
“The thing that is most abnormal is the speed,” said John Cox, an aviation safety consultant and former 737 pilot.
“The speed is very high,” said Mr. Cox, a former executive air safety chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association in the United States. “The question is why. The plane accelerates far faster than it should.”
Ethiopian Airlines officials have said the crew of Flight 302 reported “flight control” problems to air traffic controllers a few minutes before contact was lost. The new account of communications between air traffic controllers and the pilot, Yared Getachew, who had 8,000 hours of flying experience, provides much more information about what was happening in the cockpit.
Within one minute of Flight 302’s departure, the person who reviewed communications said, Captain Getachew reported a “flight control” problem in a calm voice. At that point, radar showed the aircraft’s altitude as being well below what is known as the minimum safe height from the ground during a climb.
Within two minutes, the person said, the plane had climbed to a safer altitude, and the pilot said he wanted to stay on a straight course to 14,000 feet.
Then the controllers observed the plane going up and down by hundreds of feet, and it appeared to be moving unusually fast, the person said. The controllers, the person said, “started wondering out loud what the flight was doing.”
Two other Ethiopian flights, 613 and 629, were approaching from the east, and the controllers, sensing an emergency on Flight 302, ordered them to remain at higher altitudes. It was during that exchange with the other planes, the person said, that Captain Getachew, with panic in his voice, interrupted with his request to turn back.
Flight 302 was just three minutes into its flight, the person said, and appeared to have accelerated to even higher speeds, well beyond its safety limits.
Cleared by the controllers to turn back, Flight 302 turned right as it climbed further. A minute later, it disappeared from the radar over a restricted military zone.
The disaster drew immediate comparisons to the October crash of another Boeing 737 Max 8, operated by Lion Air, in Indonesia. Both took place soon after takeoff, and the crews of both planes had sought to return to the airport.
The possibility that the two crashes had a similar cause was central to regulators’ decision to ground all 737 Maxes, a family of planes that entered passenger service less than two years ago.
After the Indonesia crash, a new flight-control system meant to keep the jet from stalling was suspected as a cause. In both cases, pilots struggled to control their aircraft.
[Why investigators fear the two Boeing 737s crashed for the same reason.]
The investigation of the Ethiopian crash is still in its early stages, and safety regulators have noted that it is too soon to draw conclusions about the cause. The so-called black boxes, voice and flight data recorders that contain more detailed information about the Ethiopian flight’s final moments, arrived in France on Thursday for analysis.
Since the Indonesia crash, Boeing has been working on a software update for the 737 Max jets, expected by April. But the company and the Federal Aviation Administration face new questions over whether there should have been more pilot training as airlines added the new models to their fleets.
On Wednesday, the chairman of the transportation committee in the House of Representatives said he would investigate the F.A.A.’s certification of the 737 Max, including why the regulator did not require more extensive training.
Selam Gebrekidan reported from Addis Ababa, and James Glanz from New York. Thomas Kaplan contributed reporting from Washington.
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Doomed Boeing Jets Lacked 2 Safety Features That Company Sold Only as Extras.
As the pilots of the doomed Boeing jets in Ethiopia and Indonesia fought to control their planes, they lacked two notable safety features in their cockpits. One reason: Boeing charged extra for them. Sign Up For the Morning Briefing Newsletter For Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers, the practice of charging to upgrade a standard plane can be lucrative. Top airlines around the world must pay handsomely to have the jets they order fitted with customized add-ons. Sometimes these optional features involve aesthetics or comfort, like premium seating, fancy lighting or extra bathrooms.