The doomed Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed killing all 157 on board yesterday 'had smoke pouring from the rear' before coming down 'with a loud boom', a witness has said.
Gebeyehu Fikadu said he saw flight ET302 'swerving and dipping' while 'luggage and clothes came burning down' after it crashed within minutes of take-off from Addis Ababa yesterday morning.
All passengers and crew onboard the plane, including 36-year-old Briton Joanna Toole, died in the disaster - the second involving a 737 MAX 8 in just five months.
Last October, the same model of plane, operated by Lion Air, crashed in Indonesia, killing 189 and experts have highlighted 'similarities' between the two tragedies.
China - an important market for Boeing - became the first country to ground the 737 MAX 8 on Monday. Ethiopian Airlines did the same, saying the decision came as an 'extra safety precaution' while Indonesia said it will temporarily ground its MAX 8s for inspection - mirroring the actions of Caribbean carrier Cayman Airways.
As Ethiopia marked a day of mourning and the search for remains entered a second day, rescuers said they had recovered the aircraft's black box which is expected to shed light on the causes of the crash.
Boeing said this morning there was no need to issue new guidance to operators of its 737 MAX 8 aircraft based on its investigations so far. But shares in Boeing Co slid nearly 10 per cent in early trading today which - if maintained through normal trading hours - would represent the biggest fall in the firm's stock in nearly two decades.
According to flight tracking websites, the 'brand new' jet took off at about 8.39am but crashed minutes later having climbed to 8,600ft and reached a ground speed of 383 knots (441mph).
US plane maker Boeing is facing questions over the safety of one of its key aircraft models after an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed killing 157 - the second disaster involving a 737 MAX 8 in just five months. Pictured: The crash scene today
China - an important market for Boeing - became the first country to ground the 737 MAX 8 on Monday. Ethiopian Airlines did the same, saying the decision came as an 'extra safety precaution' while Caribbean carrier Cayman Airways is temporarily grounding two of the aircraft. Pictured: Wreckage at the crash site today
Joanna Toole, pictured, was the first British victim to be named. Paying tribute her father Adrian said she was a 'very soft and loving person' whose work with the United Nations was 'not a job but a vocation'
Sarah Auffret (left), a French-British dual national, has been identified as a victim of the crash along with Hospitality company Tamarind Group chief executive Jonathan Seex (right)
Irishman Michael Ryan (pictured left), who worked for the UN's World Food Programme, and Kenyan-British dual national Joseph Waithaka (right) - who used to live in Hull - were also among the 149 passengers killed
Joanna Toole (left) has been named as one of the British victims of the air disaster in Ethiopia. The Red Cross of Norway also confirmed that Karoline Aadland (right), a finance officer from Bergen, was among those on the flight
Rescue teams look on as a digger searches for bodies at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash this morning
Are 737 Max 8 jets safe? Boeing faces troubling questions after second crash in five months
Boeing issued a safety warning last November about its new 737 Max jets which could have a fault that causes them to nose-dive.
The special bulletin sent to operators was about a sensor problem flagged by Indonesian safety officials investigating the crash of a Lion Air 737 that killed 189 people just a week before the memo was sent.
Since the 737 Max was unveiled in 2017, 350 of the jets have been bought, with around a further future 4,761 orders placed. More than 40 airlines around the world use the 737 Max, which has four kinds in the fleet, numbered 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Airlines such as Norwegian Air, Air China, TUI, Air Canada, United Airlines, American Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Icelandair and FlyDubai use the aircraft with hundreds in operation around the world.
The 8 series, which was involved in the crash in Indonesia, has only been in commercial use since 2017.
Boeing said in November that local aviation officials believed pilots may have been given wrong information by the plane's automated systems before the fatal crash.
An AOA sensor provides data about the angle at which wind is passing over the wings and tells pilots how much lift a plane is getting.
According to a technical log the Lion Air plane, which had only been in service a few months, suffered instrument problems the day before because of an 'unreliable' airspeed reading.
The MAX models are relatively new but has already been investigated after problems reported. Pictured: Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 (stock image)
Minutes after take-off the plane suddenly nose-dived hitting speeds of 600mph before slamming into the sea.
The warning issued today read: 'The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee has indicated that Lion Air flight 610 experienced erroneous input from one of its AOA (Angle of Attack) sensors.
'Boeing issued an Operations Manual Bulletin (OMB) directing operators to existing flight crew procedures to address circumstances where there is erroneous input from an AOA sensor.'
As a result of an investigation into the crash the jet manufacturer is said to be preparing a bulletin to be sent to operators of the 737 jets warning about faulty cockpit readings that could cause a dive.
The notice refers to the 'angle of attack', which is the angle of the wing relative to oncoming air stream, a measure that indicates if a plane is likely to stall.
This angle of attack, which is a calculation of the angle at which the wind is passing over the wings, is used to be determined if a stall is imminent.
Inspectors found faults on two other Boeing 737 MAX jets, including one which mirrored a problem reported on board the Lion Air plane.
Data revealed the plane's vertical speed - the rate of climb or descent - was 'unstable' varying from 2,624 feet per minute to minus 1,216 within minutes of take off.
The airline's CEO said the pilot, who had 8,000 hours of flying experience, reported technical problems and had asked for clearance to return to Addis Ababa before the crash.
Mr Fikadu, 25, told CNN he was collecting firewood nearby when he saw the crash.
'I was in the mountain nearby when I saw the plane reach the mountain before turning around with a lot of smoke coming from the back and then crashed at this site. It crashed with a large boom. When it crashed luggage and clothes came burning down.
'Before it crashed the plane was swerving and dipping with a lot of smoke coming from the back and also making a very loud unpleasant sound before hitting the ground.'
The Max 8 is the latest version of the best-selling commercial jet in history and is operated by scores of airlines around the world - including in the UK.
One of four varieties of 737 Max aircraft produced by the US aerospace giant, Boeing says it has taken more than 4,700 orders for the single-aisle family of planes which can carry up to 230 passengers.
In Britain, holiday operator Tui Airways has ordered 32 Max aircraft as part of a major fleet overhaul and took delivery of its first Max 8 in December. Tui was the first UK-registered airline to receive one of the new Boeing aircraft and plans to roll out its orders over the next five years.
Only the flight data and cockpit conversation contained in the doomed Ethiopian Airlines aircraft's two black boxes can provide tangible evidence of what may have caused the latest accident - technical problems, pilot error or a combination of factors.
'The pilot mentioned that he had difficulties and he wants to return. He was given clearance' to turn around, Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam told reporters in Addis Ababa.
According to CNN, he visited the crash site today and reported that the plane had hit the ground with such force it is 'now right inside the ground'.
Weather conditions were good in the Ethiopian capital at the time of the flight.
Teal Group expert Richard Aboulafia said it was 'too soon to make any kind of meaningful comment,' but another industry expert stressed the similarities between the two incidents.
'It's the same plane. Like Lion Air, the (Ethiopian Airlines) accident took place shortly after takeoff and the pilots signalled they were experiencing problems, then the plane crashed. The similarities are clear,' the expert added, requesting anonymity to speak freely on the matter.
Chinese aviation authorities also noted the 'similarities' between the two deadly incidents, saying operations would only resume after 'confirming the relevant measures to effectively ensure flight safety.'
Boeing has delivered 76 of the aircraft to Chinese airlines, and another 104 are on order, according to data from the company's website.
But Michel Merluzeau, director of Aerospace & Defense Market Analysis, noted that 'these are the only similarities, and the comparison stops there as we do not have any other reliable information at this juncture.'
In both cases, the air carriers have solid reputations.
Since the Lion Air accident, the 737 MAX has faced growing scepticism from the aviation community. The programme had already encountered problems during development.
In May 2017, Boeing had halted 737 MAX test flights due to quality concerns with the engine produced by CFM International, a company jointly owned by France's Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aviation.
In late January, 350 of the narrow-body, twin-engine planes were delivered to customers out of 5,011 orders from Boeing.
The latest accident is a major blow for Boeing, whose MAX carriers are the latest version of the Boeing 737, its bestseller of all time with more than 10,000 aircraft produced.
'MAX is a very important program for Boeing in the next decade. It represents 64 per cent of the company's production to 2032, and has significant operational margins,' said Merluzeau.
'It is an essential tool to global transport and trade.'
He said the next 24 hours are 'key' for Boeing to manage the crisis with both travelers and investors worried about the reliability of its plane.
The expert who requested anonymity said Boeing will likely face some backlash in the markets, but the damage will likely be limited for the group, whose only significant competitor is Airbus.
The plane's future is so important for Boeing that if any technical corrections are needed, it will make them.
Following the October 29 incident in Indonesia, the aerospace community raised questions about the lack of information on the plane's anti-stall system.
Boeing said on Monday the investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines crash is in its early stages and there is no need to issue new guidance to operators of its 737 MAX 8 aircraft based on the information it has so far. Pictured: Rescuers carry a body from the scene today
The scorched remains of a boarding pass could be seen in the wreckage at the crash site this morning, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
A passenger passport lies on the ground at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight crash near Bishoftu, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
After investigators said the doomed aircraft had problems with its airspeed indicator and angle of attack (AoA) sensors, Boeing issued a special bulletin telling operators what to do when they face the same situation.
An AoA sensor provides data about the angle at which air passes over the wings and tells pilots how much lift a plane is getting. The information can be critical in preventing an aircraft from stalling.
As investigations continued today, the father of British UN animal welfare worker Joanna Toole, who died in the disaster, described her as a 'very soft and loving person' and said: 'It's hard to imagine life without her'.
The 36-year-old was one of the 157 passengers and crew who were killed when the Boeing jet crashed within minutes of take-off from Addis Ababa yesterday morning. At least 12 passengers, including Ms Toole, from Exmouth, Devon, were travelling to Nairobi for a UN environment gathering.
On Twitter she described herself as an 'ocean protectionist, lover of yoga and vegan foodie' who was 'passionate' about the Earth.
Ethiopian Airlines said seven Britons, one Irishman, 18 Canadians and eight Americans were among 149 passengers and eight crew killed when the plane came down near the town of Bishoftu.
Polar expert Sarah Auffret - a British-French dual national - and former Hull resident Joseph Waithaka were also named as victims.
Flight-tracking data showed the plane's vertical speed had fluctuated wildly in the last seconds before the crash, though experts say it is too early to say what caused the disaster.
Ms Toole's father Adrian told Sky News: 'It's dreadful she won't be able to carry on her work. I don't think I'll ever give up expecting her to ring.'
He also revealed his daughter kept homing pigeons and pet rats and would travel to the Faroe Islands in a bid to prevent whaling.
Mr Toole said she had flown around the world but added: 'Personally I never wanted her to be on a single one of those planes'.
He said: 'Joanna's work was not a job - it was her vocation. She never really wanted to do anything else but work in animal welfare since she was a child.
'Somehow that work took her into the international sphere and for the last 15 years she has been working for international animal welfare organisations.
'That involves a lot of travelling around the world - although personally I never wanted her to be on a single one of those planes.
'I'm an environmental campaigner myself, so partly it was because of the damage to the environment but also because it's a dangerous occupation to be flying. Up until now she had been lucky.
'Joanna was a very soft and loving person. Everybody was very proud of her and the work she did. We're still in a state of shock.
'Joanna was genuinely one of those people who you never heard a bad word about. She was one of those people who burned the candle at both ends.
'She never had any doubt that she wanted to work in animal welfare and on the international scene, that meant a lot of travel. It's hard to imagine life without her.'
One of her UN colleagues, Manuel Barange, called her a 'wonderful human being who loved her work with a passion', saying he was 'so profoundly sad and lost for words' at the news of her death.
According to her LinkedIn page she had worked for the UN since 2016, living in Rome where she recently set up home with her partner.
She previously worked at World Animal Protection and Animal Defenders International, after graduating from Anglia Ruskin University in 2004 with a degree in Animal Behaviour and Wildlife Biology.
Wreckage lies at the crash site after the Ethiopian Airlines jet came down within minutes of take-off on Sunday morning
Rescue workers collect bodies in bags at the crash site of Ethiopia Airlines near Bishoftu following Sunday's air disaster
Members of the search and rescue mission look for dead bodies of passengers at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines crash
In a blog she wrote when she worked for WAP she described herself as a keen diver, adding: 'I'm committed to the protection of all animals, but the underwater world and the animals within it are my greatest passion.'
Polar expert Sarah Auffret, who had French and British dual nationality, was also killed in the crash. Colleagues paid tribute to her as a 'true friend and beloved colleague'.
'Words cannot describe the sorrow and despair we feel,' her employers at the Norway-based Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators said.
Raised in Brittany, the environmental agent was leading AECO's efforts to cut back single-use plastics on Arctic expeditions and coordinating beach clean-ups.
Another victim, 55-year-old Joseph Waithaka, lived in Hull for more than a decade before returning to his native Kenya in 2015. The BBC reported he had dual Kenyan and British citizenship.
He had been visiting his wife and children, who still live in Hull, and was on his way back to Kenya via Ethiopia when he boarded the doomed flight aboard the Boeing 737 Max 8 jet.
Mr Waithaka worked for the probation service during his time in Hull and his family said he had 'helped so many people' during his time in England.
His son, Ben Kuria, said: 'My dad was a private man but he also had a pastoral heart. He really championed people. He really helped people realise their potential.
'He would tell stories which would inspire the young people he was helping who were not at a great time in their lives.
The graphic shows how the plane's vertical speed fluctuated in the minute before it crashed near Addis Ababa airport
Members of the search and rescue mission look for dead bodies of passengers at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines disaster
The wreckage of the plane - showing the colours of the Ethiopian flag on the plane's livery - lies at the scene of the crash
'As a father he was very protective and he really wanted us to do well. He supported us and ensured we got stuck into our education. He really rooted for his children.'
The one Irish victim was named as engineer Michael Ryan, an employee of the UN's World Food Programme - which said seven of its staff members had died in the crash, including two Italians.
The Rome-based aid worker and engineer, known as Mick, was from Lahinch in Co Clare in Ireland's west and was believed to be married with two children.
Last night UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she was 'deeply saddened to hear of the devastating loss of life following the plane crash in Ethiopia'.
'At this very difficult time my thoughts are with the families and friends of the British citizens on board and all those affected by this tragic incident,' she said.
Irish premier Leo Varadkar said: 'Michael was doing life-changing work in Africa with the World Food Programme. Deepest sympathies to family, colleagues and friends.'
Former U.S. President Barack Obama said on Twitter that he and wife Michelle 'send our deepest sympathies to all who knew the victims of today's plane crash in Ethiopia'.
Representatives of the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees and an employee of the World Bank also lost their lives in the disaster.
The families of those on the plane have been arriving at special information centres to find out their next steps
Family members of the victims involved in a plane crash react at Addis Ababa international airport Sunday, hours after their loves ones took off
Ethiopia Airlines group CEO, Mr Tewolde Gebremariam, who is pictured at the accident scene. Firefighters spent hours trying to get to the scene
Wreckage lies at the crash site of Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 which came down en route to Nairobi
Meanwhile, the Red Cross of Norway confirmed that Karoline Aadland, a finance officer, was among those on the flight.
Aadland, 28, was originally from Bergen, Norway. The Red Cross said she was traveling to Nairobi for a meeting.
Aadland's Linkedin page says she had done humanitarian and environmental work. The page says her work and studies had taken her to France, Kenya, South Africa and Malawi.
'People who know me describe me as a resourceful, dedicated and kindhearted person,' she wrote on Linkedin.
The Red Cross says in a news release that it 'offers support to the closest family, and to employees who want it,' the organization said in a news release.
As more victims were identified last night:
- Hospitality company Tamarind Group announced 'with immense shock and grief' that its chief executive Jonathan Seex was among the fatalities.
- Anton Hrnko, an MP for the nationalist Slovak National Party, said he was 'in deep grief' to announce that his wife Blanka, daughter Michala and son Martin were among the dead.
- Three members of Italian aid group Africa Tremila were on board. The group's president Carlo Spini, his wife Gabriella Viggiani, and treasurer Matteo Ravasio were among the eight Italians killed.
- The African Diaspora Youth Forum in Europe said co-chairman Karim Saafi had been a passenger on the flight and had been due to represent them at a meeting with the African Union in Nairobi.
- Professor Pius Adesamni was named as a victim by Benoit-Antoine Bacon, the president and vice-chancellor of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
- Hussein Swaleh, the former secretary general of the Football Kenya Federation, was named as being among the dead by Sofapaka Football Club.
- Abiodun Oluremi Bashua - a retired envoy who served in Iran, Austria and Ivory Coast - was killed, Nigeria's foreign affairs ministry said.
- Austrian media reported that three doctors who were aged between 30 and 40 and worked at hospitals in Linz had died.
- Save the Children said its child protection in emergencies adviser Tamirat Mulu Demessie was among the dead.
- Three of the Russians on board were tourists Yekaterina Polyakova, Alexander Polyakov and Sergei Vyalikov, the Russian Embassy in Ethiopia said.
It also emerged last night that U.S. aviation officials had issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive warning that pilots of Boeing 737-8 and 737-9 planes 'could have difficulty controlling the airplane' because of a problem with one of its systems.
A faulty sensor could cause 'excessive nose-down attitude, significant altitude loss, and possible impact with terrain', the Federal Aviation Administration had warned.
Part of the plane lies on the ground near Bishoftu following the crash on Sunday morning in which 157 people were killed
Boeing has said it will send a forensic team out to the crash site however it has been a site of activity all day with dozens of locals crossing on foot and big machinery being driven over
Pictures from the wreckage show people's shoes and burned bags scattered across the ground after the crash in Ethiopia
A relative reacts as he leaves the information centre following the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi
Debris from the plane is strewn around the area while locals comb the area for any signs of survival from the crash
After the news all onboard had died families cried and talked on the phone at the airport. Families have said they are being told nothing about what has happened
Flight-tracking data revealed that the plane's vertical speed - the rate of climb or descent - varied from 2,624 feet per minute to minus 1,216 within minutes of take-off.
Lucky passenger avoids crash after missing flight
A passenger has spoken of his relief after he missed the doomed Ethiopian Airlines flight.
Ahmed Khalid was connecting in Addis Ababa on his way from Dubai to Nairobi but the first half of his trip was delayed.
As a result he missed the ill-fated flight and boarded a later connection to Kenya.
He said passengers were asking the cabin crew what had happened but received little information, Global News reported.
Upon arrival in Nairobi he was greeted by his equally relieved father, Khalid Bzambur.
Passenger Ahmed Khalid (left), who missed the doomed Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 while connecting from Dubai, meets his father Khalid Bzambur (right) in Nairobi
According to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, the plane, which was new and was delivered to the airline last November, 'had unstable vertical speed' shortly after take off.
Aviation experts described the data as extremely unusual, saying that once a plane has taken off the vertical speed should rise or remain stable.
Expert Sally Gethin said the plane's rapidly fluctuating speed may indicate that the aircraft stalled in the moments before it crashed.
She said: 'It's the rate of climb or descent - the most critical phases of flight. Instability at that point e.g. too slow - could destabilise the aircraft, potentially risking stalling and other hazardous consequences. It might indicate the pilots had difficulty controlling the climb/ascent.'
An experienced pilot told MailOnline the activity was highly unusual.
He said: 'A positive number indicates the aircraft is going up. After takeoff you would expect all these numbers to be positive as the aircraft climbed away from the ground, or zero if they are flying level.
'The small amount of data released so far indicates that after only one minute or so of the flight this aircraft started a descent at a rate of up to 1920 feet per minute down. If the data is correct that is extremely unusual.
'The data then shows the aircraft going up and down until the data stops. That is why some people are referring to unstable vertical speed.
'You would not expect a descent unless you were immediately returning, and if that was the case you wouldn't then expect the aircraft to climb again.
'After takeoff aircraft either climb or fly level for a period then climb again.'
A woman reacts as she waits for the updated flight information of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302, where her fiance was onboard at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya
Family members arrive at Bole International airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after hearing news of the crash
Rescue team walk past collected bodies in bags at the crash site of Ethiopia Airlines near Bishoftu, a town some 60 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa
The scene of the crash on rural land in Ethiopia. All passengers on board the plane died on Sunday, the airline confirmed
The plane had been heading towards Nairobi when it came down in Ethiopia. It was just 31 miles from Addis Ababa Airport
The plane had reportedly travelled for six minutes when it came down to the ground
Boeing said it was 'deeply saddened' by news of the crash and would sent technical experts to Ethiopia to help investigate the crash.
The plane came down near Bishoftu, Ethiopia, 37 miles (60km) south of the Addis Ababa. A witness told the BBC it took rescuers until 11am to arrive.
Witness Bekele Gutema said: 'The blast and the fire were so strong that we couldn't get near it. Everything is burnt down.'
The pilot had sent out a distress call and was given the all clear to return, according to the airline's chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam.
Senior captain Yared Getachew had a 'commendable performance' having completed more than 8,000 hours in the air, the airline said.
The plane had flown from Johannesburg to Addis earlier on Sunday morning, and had undergone a 'rigorous' testing on February 4, a statement continued.
The plane, a 737 MAX 8, is believed to be a new addition to the EA fleet having been delivered last year - and is the same model as the Lion Air plane which crashed in Indonesia in October.
Last night Cayman Airways president Fabian Whorms said both of the airline's new Max 8s will not fly from Monday.
Boeing issued a safety warning last November about its new 737 Max jets which could have a fault that causes them to nose-dive. The MAX-8 planes were launched in 2016 and are used by major airlines all around the world.
The state-owned Ethiopian Airlines calls itself Africa's largest carrier and has ambitions of becoming the gateway to the continent.
Ethiopian Airlines said they had contacted the victims' families and said the bodies would be returned home once they had been identified.
The loved ones of plane passengers heading to Nairobi were waiting for news at the airport yesterday morning
Ethiopian Airlines hopes to become the most prominent airline on the continent. Pictured: A man looks at his phone outside the Ethiopian Airlines offices in downtown Nairobi, Kenya
A Djiboutian national Hiba (L) is comforted by a relative as she waits for details of her loved one that was on board the flight Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi
Passengers wait outside the Bole International airport Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Families returned to the airport to try and get news of the crash
A flight information board displaying the details of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 is seen at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
An Ethiopian Airports fire engine rushes to the scene of the crash on Sunday morning. It took them until 11am to get there
Ethiopian Airlines air crash is the second involving brand new Boeing 737 in just three months after 189 were killed in Indonesia tragedy
By Joel Adams for MailOnline
The tragic deaths of 157 passengers and crew yesterday, when an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft crashed within minutes of take-off in Addis Ababa, are raising serious questions over the safety record of both aircraft and airline.
It was on another brand new Boeing 737 Max 8, in Indonesia less than five months ago, that 189 people lost their lives in the Java Sea when Lion Air Flight 610 plummeted out of the skies minutes after taking off from Jakarta.
And the incident brings the African carrier's death toll to 482 across 22 fatal incidents since its inception in 1965 - and almost 500 more people have been injured in EA crashes and incidents, according to information from the Flight Safety Foundation.
For comparison, British Airways flight has ever been involved in one fatal incident: the Zagreb runway crash of 1976 when all 176 people aboard two planes died when BA Flight 476 collided with another aircraft on takeoff due to an air traffic control error.
An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 went down within six minutes of take-off this morning (pictured: stock image)
Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam inspects the newly-arrived Boeing 737 Max 8 months before the crash
Initial reports yesterday showed considerable similarities between the Ethiopian and Indonesian disasters which involve the same plane.
Yesterday's flight lost contact about six minutes after take-off, having requested and been given clearance to return to the airport in Abbis Ababa.
Last year, Lion Air 610 also went down minutes after take-off having requested permission to return to base.
Yesterday, telemetry shows the plane's vertical airspeed fluctuated rapidly in the minutes and second before its crash, including in the final moments when it seems to have been locked in a terrifyingly accelerating nosedive,.
Investigations thus far by the Indonesian and American aviation authorities have concluded the Lion Air plane also hit the sea after a violent nosedive.
The New York Times reports that investigators are considering whether that dive might have been caused by updated Boeing software that was meant to prevent a stall - but that can send the plane into a fatal descent if the altitude and angle information being fed into the computer system is incorrect.
The change in the flight control system, which can override manual motions in the Max model, was not explained to pilots, according to some pilots' unions.
After that crash, Boeing said that it was continuing 'to evaluate the need for software or other changes as we learn more from the ongoing investigation.' It was unclear if the company had made any changes.
In a statement on Sunday, Boeing said it was 'deeply saddened' to learn of the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.
Indonesian emergency services carry a body bag in the wake of the Lion Air disaster last year
'A Boeing technical team is prepared to provide technical assistance at the request and under the direction of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board,' the company said.
The state-owned Ethiopian Airlines calls itself Africa's largest carrier and has ambitions of becoming the gateway to the continent.
The airline does have a better safety rating and a newer fleet than some neighbouring operators - a number of African airlines are banned outright from EU airspace including the flag-carrier of neighbouring Eritrea.
But in addition to 16 fatal incidents costing 102 lives in the 1960s, 70s, and 1980s; the airline has now suffered six fatal incidents in the last thirty years, including other two huge tragedies.
In 1996 after a hijacking and a failed water landing, 125 people died on Flight 961 in Moroni, the capital of the Union of the Comoros in the Indian Ocean.
And in January 2010, 82 passengers and eight crew died when EA flight 409 from Beirut to Addis Ababa slammed into the Mediterranean shortly after take-off.
Boeing's 737 is the world's most-sold passenger jet family and is considered one of the industry's most reliable.
The MAX 8 is the latest version of the aircraft, which Boeing rolled out in 2017 as an update to the already redesigned 50-year-old 737.
By the end of January, Boeing had delivered 350 MAX jets out of the total order tally of 5,011 aircraft.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/11/ethiopian-air-crash-airlines-ground-boeing-737-max-8-jets/
Main photo article The doomed Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed killing all 157 on board yesterday ‘had smoke pouring from the rear’ before coming down ‘with a loud boom’, a witness has said.
Gebeyehu Fikadu said he saw flight ET302 ‘swerving and dipping’ while ‘luggage ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/11/07/10825776-0-image-a-7_1552289825613.jpg
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