China, Indonesia ground fleets, black box found
China and Indonesia grounded their fleets of Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 aircraft yesterday, and investigators recovered the black box from a crash that killed 157 people, the second disaster in less than five months involving the new model.
At the crash site, men in Red Cross jackets and face masks picked through a large crater, putting items in black paper bags. Clothing, boarding passes, serviettes and other personal effects were scattered over the field, along with charred bodies and debris from the shattered jet.
The Ethiopian Airlines jet plunged into an arid field minutes after take-off from here for Nairobi on Sunday, killing all on board. The victims came from more than 30 nations and included 22 United Nations’ staff.
The crash follows one of the same aircraft model operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air, which went down in October shortly after take off, killing all 189 people on board.
Two crashes in such a short period involving the same model prompted countries to take swift action.
Ethiopian Airlines, which has four other 737 MAX 8 jets, said it was grounding them as a precaution, although it did not yet know the cause of the crash.
China yesterday ordered its airlines to suspend operations of their 737 MAX 8 jets by 6pm. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it would notify airlines when they could resume flying the jets, after contacting Boeing and the United States Federal Aviation Administration.
CAAC said the accidents involving newly delivered planes both had taken place shortly after take-off.
Indonesia said it would temporarily ground Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft for inspection.
Cayman Airways grounded both of its new 737 MAX 8 jets temporarily too, while India announced a safety review and new instructions yesterday or today for local carriers.
A senior US official said it was too early to tell if there was any direct connection between the two accidents, but assessing that was a priority for investigators.
Ethiopian Airlines said its pilot Yared Getachew, who was a dual Ethiopian-Kenyan national, had a “commendable record” and more than 8,000 hours of flying experience.
The airplane was received in November, had flown more than 1,200 hours, and returned from Johannesburg earlier on Sunday, said chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam. Nevertheless, Getachew had mentioned difficulties and wanted to return.
It crashed near the town of Bishoftu, 62km southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, with 149 passengers and eight crew aboard.