Boeing’s emergency instructions to Ethiopia crew ‘didn’t work’

THE pilots of the Ethiopian Airlines jet which crashed last month could not stop it ‘repeatedly’ nosediving despite following Boeing’s procedures, investigators have said.

A preliminary report into the 737 Max’s crash, which killed 157 people minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa, appeared to rule out pilot error – leaving open the possibility there was a fault with the aircraft.

The disaster came five months after another 737 Max plunged into the Java Sea near Indonesia, killing 189. Ethiopia’s transport minister Dagmawit Moges said the crew ‘repeatedly’ followed the manufacturer’s emergency instructions, issued to pilots following the crash in Indonesia, but they were ‘not able to control the aircraft’.

The report notes the jet had a valid certificate of air worthiness and its take-off had appeared normal.