Trump: US grounds Boeing 737s after Ethiopia crash

WASHINGTON — The FAA developed new information from the wreckage of a 737 crash in Ethiopia that painted similarities to an earlier crash in Indonesia, leading the agency to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft in the U.S., three people familiar with the matter said.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday grounded all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, effective immediately. The wording in the emergency order is similar to that used by Canadian officials who hours earlier had issued an order grounding the planes.

“Any plane currently in the air will go to its destination and thereafter be grounded until further notice,” Trump said. “The safety of the American people, and all people, is our paramount concern.”

The order states that the similarities “warrant further investigation of the possibility of a shared cause for the two incidents that needs to be better understood and addressed.”

Trump’s announcement followed one by Canada’s transportation minister grounding all the jets, saying a review of satellite-tracking data by his country’s experts found similarities between Sunday’s crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet and an October Lion Air crash.

The news had left the United States and its carriers as the last major users of the aircraft.

Shortly after 3 p.m. the FAA issued a statement confirming the order.

“The FAA is ordering the temporary grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory.” the statement said. “The agency made this decision as a result of the data gathering process and new evidence collected at the site and analyzed today. This evidence, together with newly refined satellite data available to FAA this morning, led to this decision.”

The order temporarily halts all flights of the Boeing Max 8 and Max 9 planes, effective immediately.

“On March 13, 2019, the investigation of the (Ethiopian Airlines) crash developed new information from the wreckage concerning the aircraft’s configuration just after takeoff that, taken together with newly refined data from satellite-based tracking of the aircraft’s flight path, indicates some similarities” between the Ethiopia and Indonesia crashes, according to the order.

The order will ground more than 70 aircraft and covers 737 Max 8s and Max 9s. The aircraft is used by American and Southwest airlines, which combined have 58 Max 8s in their fleets.