US and Ethiopian officials are probing the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8, which killed 157 people. The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) leads on-site investigations, with Boeing deploying a technical team under US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) supervision. The FAA confirmed it is monitoring developments and plans to collaborate with NTSB on the probe.
The 737 MAX 8, launched in 2016, was delivered to Ethiopian Airlines in November 2018 and operated for four months before the crash. This follows the October 2018 Lion Air disaster, where a similar MAX 8 crashed after pilots struggled with the aircraft's automated anti-stall system. Investigators linked both incidents to sensor malfunctions affecting the system, though no retrofit requirements were mandated for existing aircraft.
Boeing issued a 2017 bulletin addressing sensor issues but did not require retrofits. Ethiopian Airlines, which operates multiple MAX models, maintains a safety-focused reputation despite the tragedy. The carrier's fleet includes the fuel-efficient MAX variants, popular for their cost-effectiveness in regional routes.
