This archive report was first published on 9 October 2019.
On March 10, 2019, a Boeing 737 MAX jet operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board. The accident led to a six-month grounding of the aircraft model.
According to whistle-blower Yonas Yeshanew, a former chief engineer at Ethiopian Airlines, the airline may have tampered with the maintenance records of the plane. In an article carried by the Associated Press news agency, Yonas alleged that someone from the airline had entered the maintenance record system after the crash.
However, Ethiopian Airlines has denied these allegations. In a statement, the airline said that all relevant hard copy maintenance records of the aircraft involved in the accident were sealed, stored in a secure place, and delivered to investigators.
"All maintenance activities done and pilot remarks reported on the aircraft before the accident are recorded on hard copy documents. Hard copies are the official records of aircraft. The allegation that pilot and technicians' notes were changed is completely false," the airline said.
Yonas, who is seeking asylum in the United States, has been described by the airline as a "disgruntled employee". He told the AP that he fled the country after being arrested and interrogated for talking to journalists about his concerns following the crash.
