In this file photo taken on November 28, 2017, an Ethiopian Airline Boeing 737-700 aircraft takes off from Felix Houphouet-Boigny Airport in Abidjan. AFP PHOTO
The crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max near Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019, which killed 157 people, has reignited safety concerns over the aircraft model linked to a previous Indonesian crash. The plane, newly acquired in July 2018, had its maiden flight in October 2018 and crashed six minutes after departing at 8:38 a.m., near Bishoftu, 60 kilometers southeast of Addis Ababa. It carried 149 passengers and eight crew members.
Malfunctioning Sensor ¶
The 737 Max, Boeing’s latest 737 variant, became the world’s most popular commercial aircraft after its 2016 launch. Following the October 2018 Lion Air crash that killed 190, Boeing warned that a faulty sensor could cause flight control issues. The sensor incorrectly signaled a stall, triggering automated nose-down corrections that pilots struggled to override.
Hijacked ¶
Ethiopian Airlines’ history includes a 2010 crash into the Mediterranean killing 90, and a 2015 incident where a plane was hijacked en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi by three Ethiopians seeking asylum in Australia, resulting in 125 deaths. In a statement, Boeing expressed condolences and pledged technical support to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
The 737 Max’s safety has faced scrutiny since the Indonesian crash, with calls for pilot retraining on updated systems. The aircraft’s design lacks a common override feature to prevent nose dives, a vulnerability highlighted in both crashes.
