Ethiopian Airlines crash: countries ground Boeing jets over concerns

The wreckage of the Ethiopian Airlines plane. Photo/AP.

Ethiopia, China and other countries announced Monday that they would ground the type of US aircraft that was involved in a devastating Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed everyone on board Sunday just minutes after takeoff.

But Boeing, the manufacturer of the 737 Max 8 airliner that crashed on a flight from Addis Ababa to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, said Monday that it has no reason to recommend that airlines ground the plane.

"The investigation is in its early stages, but at this point, based on the information available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators," Boeing said in a statement reported by CNN.

A national day of mourning has been declared in Ethiopia, and investigators are sifting through the crash site to identify remains so they can be turned over to families. Ethiopian Airlines reported that the "black box" voice and data recorders have been recovered from the plane.

Ethiopian Airlines said its fleet of the planes would be grounded as an "extra safety precaution."

China's Civil Aviation Administration said in a statement early Monday that it has asked domestic airlines to temporarily ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 jets before 6 pm. It was the first time China has taken the lead in ordering a model grounded before other national aviation agencies.

Cayman Airways and Indonesia's airlines also suspended the use of the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, the latest version of the industry's most popular passenger airline. Indonesia's director general of civil aviation, Polana Pramesti, said the move was to ensure flight safety and that the planes would be inspected. Indonesia has 11 Max 8 aircraft in service.

Officials are "conducting an inspection by temporarily grounding the planes to make sure that they're airworthy," Pramesti said in a statement.

India's chief air regulator announced it would be reviewing the situation and planned to issue new safety instructions to operators by Tuesday.

In Vietnam, meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority said it would not license the use of the Max plane in the country pending the results of investigations and remedial measures. While there are currently no Max 8 aircraft in use in Vietnam, budget airline VietJet Air ordered 100 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in February, including 20 of the Max 8 version, at the same time that President Donald Trump was meeting with Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi.

In Morocco and Mongolia, authorities suspended operation of Boeing 737 Max 8 planes flying in each country, news agencies reported. Royal Air Maroc had two of the airlines in service and two others on order. Mongolia reportedly had one of the planes in service.

In the United States, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines expressed confidence in their Boeing planes and crew members. "Our fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft are operating as planned today and we plan to operate those aircraft going forward," Southwest said in a statement. American said it has "full confidence in the aircraft and our crew members."

In the aftermath of the Ethiopian crash, Boeing stock plunged Monday morning, dragging down the Dow Jones industrial average.

The same plane model crashed shortly after takeoff in October in Indonesia, raising concerns about the aircraft. "There might be a technical issue on this breed of aircraft, so even though the investigation is not yet done, we decided to ground them for a while for technical checkup," airline spokesman Biniyam Demssie said.

The company's chief executive, Tewolde Gebremariam, said Sunday there were six planes in the fleet and initially the decision had been not to suspend them.

That changed following China's order, which affected hundreds of flights there. Some 13 carriers operate more than 90 of the Boeing 737 Max 8 jets, according to domestic media.

"There were certain similarities in the fact that two air crashes were newly delivered Boeing 737-8 aircraft, and they both occurred in the takeoff phase," the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration said in a statement referring to the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia. All planes of that model would be grounded until further notice according to Chinese policies allowing "zero tolerance for safety hazards" and risks, the agency said, adding that it would also consult with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing.

A spokeswoman for Boeing China said the company was staying in touch with all of its customers and government regulators and working closely with the investigative team in Ethiopia to understand the cause of the crash.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed just six minutes after takeoff, killing 149 passengers and eight crew members. On its short flight, data shows the plane ascending then descending and then ascending again sharply while accelerating to speeds in excess of what is standard during a takeoff.

The pilot asked to return to Addis Ababa because he was experiencing difficulties.

In the case of the Indonesian Lion Air flight, pilots wrestled with the plane because a faulty sensor and automatic feature sent its nose pointing down while the pilots struggled to lift the plane up. They also requested permission to return to the airport shortly before plunging into the Java Sea.

The pilot has been identified as Yared Getachew, 29, of Addis Ababa. According to a statement issued by relatives in northern Virginia, Getachew had 8,000 hours of flight time and was the youngest pilot in Ethiopian Airlines history to captain a Boeing 737.

Half Kenyan and half Ethiopian, Getachew had long requested the Nairobi route so he could visit family. Associates describe him as funny, energetic, charismatic and popular. Though young, he was described by the company as a senior pilot.

The passenger list for the Ethiopian flight included 35 different nationalities from all over the world. Among them were 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians and eight Americans. Many were involved in humanitarian work and attending a United Nations environmental conference in Nairobi.

Ethiopian Airlines is Africa's largest airline in terms of destinations and passengers served. It has ambitions of serving as the gateway to Africa and is widely seen as one of the best-managed airlines on the continent.

It serves more than 100 destinations, including Washington, DC, New York and Chicago.

The airline's last major crash was in 2010, when an aircraft caught fire and plunged into the Mediterranean after taking off from Beirut's airport, killing all 90 people on board. Bad weather and a technical fault were cited.

- Washington Post