Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crash findings released | CNN (2024)

Capt. Jason Goldberg, spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, said today’s findings show that the malfunction involving the automated anti-stallsoftware — the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS — is “a serious emergency.”

The Allied Pilots Association is American Airline’s pilots union.

Goldberg said pilots remain “cautious and hopeful that the potential fix will be thoroughly vetted and not hurried or fast tracked.”

“The APA will remain actively engaged to ensure that the 737 Max will fly again only when all stakeholders are satisfied the aircraft is ready,” he said.

A preliminary report on the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 accident showed significant similarities to the Lion Air accident, which involved another Boeing 737 Max 8.

In a statement today, Boeing said “safety is a core value for everyone” and maintained that “safety of our airplanes, our customers’ passengers and crews is always our top priority.”

Keep in mind: The report has not yet been publicly released, but CNN obtained a copy of the report today.The preliminary report does not come to a finding of probable cause.A final report could take as long as a year to produce.

Read Boeing’s full statement:

I’d like to reiterate our deepest sympathies are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the accident,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Kevin McAllister. “We thank Ethiopia’s Accident Investigation Bureau for its hard work and continuing efforts. Understanding the circ*mstances that contributed to this accident is critical to ensuring safe flight. We will carefully review the AIB’s preliminary report, and will take any and all additional steps necessary to enhance the safety of our aircraft.”
Safety is a core value for everyone at Boeing and the safety of our airplanes, our customers’ passengers and crews is always our top priority. Boeing’s technical experts continue to assist in this investigation and company-wide teams are working to address lessons from the Lion Air Flight 610 accident in October.
The preliminary report contains flight data recorder information indicating the airplane had an erroneous angle of attack sensor input that activated the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) function during the flight, as it had during the Lion Air 610 flight.
To ensure unintended MCAS activation will not occur again, Boeing has developed and is planning to release a software update to MCAS and an associated comprehensive pilot training and supplementary education program for the 737 MAX.
As previously announced, the update adds additional layers of protection and will prevent erroneous data from causing MCAS activation. Flight crews will always have the ability to override MCAS and manually control the airplane.
Boeing continues to work with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and other regulatory agencies worldwide on the development and certification of the software update and training program.
Boeing also is continuing to work closely with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as technical advisors in support of the AIB investigation. As a party providing technical assistance under the direction of investigating authorities, Boeing is prevented by international protocol and NTSB regulations from disclosing any information relating to the investigation. In accordance with international protocol, information about the investigation is provided only by investigating authorities in charge.

Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told CNN that “it looks like” the automated anti-stallsoftware — the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS —was activated before the crash of flight 302.

Some context: The preliminary report, which CNN obtained today, does not specifically name the MCAS stabilization system, but makes it likely the MCAS system pushed the plane into a dive fueled by erroneousangle of attack sensor readings.

Gebremariam added that the preliminary report proved “all the speculators with false allegations” wrong, referring to criticism and doubts over the pilot’s qualifications, adding that the airline has “always been confident” of their pilots.

The CEO went on to add that the Boeing 737 MAX“seems” to have a problem, adding that he thinks Boeing is “trying to do the right thing.”

The preliminary report of the Ethiopia Airlines crash paints a graphic picture of the last minutes of the flight, including details about how the two pilots tried in vain to end the dive together.

“The Captain asked the First Officer to pitch up together and said that pitch is not enough,” the report reads.“The data indicates that aft force was applied to both columns simultaneously several times throughout the remainder of the recording.”

The report does not specifically name the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, which is a stabilization system, but makes it likely the MCAS pushed the plane into a dive fueled by erroneous angle of attack sensor readings.Boeing is currently working on a change to the system’s software.

It says the flight data recorder indicated “automatic aircraft nose down (AND) trim command four times without pilot’s input.”

A note about the report: The report has not yet been publicly released, but CNN obtained a copy of the report today.The preliminary report does not come to a finding of probable cause.A final report could take as long as a year to produce.

The preliminary report on the Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX accident that killed all 157 on board, shows significant similarities to the Lion Air accident, with the plane’s computer system pushing the nose down four times into a steep 40-degree dive.

About the report: The report has not yet been publicly released, but CNN obtained a copy of the report today.The preliminary report does not come to a finding of probable cause.A final report could take as long as a year to produce.

More details: The similarities between the crashes extend to maintenance and flight issues such as “temporary erratic airspeed and altitude fluctuations.”

As in the Lion Air accident, the left angle of attack indicator, the sensor that drives the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (or MCAS), recorded an incorrect reading that differed from the right angle of attack indicator by about 20 degrees.

One key difference between the two accidents:The Ethiopian pilots correctly diagnosed the issue and effectively disabled the MCAS system about three minutes before the crash.

They then tried to manually adjust the trim, but found it was “not working.”

About five minutes after takeoff, air traffic controllers granted the pilots’ request to return to the airport.

The last input recorded by the flight data recorder:The plane reaching 500 knots.

Ethiopian aviation authorities discussed a preliminary report on the Ethiopian Airlines crash at a press conference Thursday, concluding that the pilots did everything they were trained to do to regain control of the plane.

The main takeaways are as follows:

CNN aviation analyst Mary Schiavo has criticized the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its oversight of Boeing.

The FAA has come in for criticism for its role in approving the Boeing 737 Max aircraft that were involved in fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

Schiavo questioned the quality of the FAA’s oversight of Boeing and claimed that the administration’s previous reputation for excellence has been tarnished.

There should be triple redundancy for different systems to ensure safety, said Schiavo, but the MCAS software systems aboard both crashed Max 8s were fed by only one angle of attack (AOA) sensor.

Schiavo claims this reliance on just one sensor begs the question as to why Boeing didn’t originally build the planes with two AOA sensors, and why the FAA did not require it.

Another issue with the 737 Max is its tendency to point slightly upward due to the use of larger engines which altered its aerodynamics compared to previous 737s.

Boeing tried to remedy this using the MCAS software, but Schiavo questioned why the FAA approved a software fix for the issue.

“Why was MCAS put in to solve what looks like a center of gravity problem, a pitch up problem?” she said.

During a press conference Thursday, Ethiopian investigators looking into the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March said the pilots were qualified and operated the plane as Boeing intended, even down to trying to override an anti-stall software known as MCAS.

CNN anchor and aviation expert Richard Quest believes that Boeing is under pressure following the press conference, despite its excellent reputation.

“The focus does turn firmly, fairly and squarely onto Boeing,” said Quest.

Boeing has a superb reputation, he added, but the MCAS system was an “operating force” in both the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes and the company has to “restore confidence in their planes.”

“The onus is on Boeing.”

Hours after this morning’s press conference there has still been no news on when the preliminary crash report on the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people in March will be published.

“Boeing will be reviewing the published report as it is released,” said company spokesman Peter Pedraza on Thursday.

The Ethiopian Accident Information Bureau told CNN it had given the report to Boeing on Monday.

In an earlier press conference on Thursday, Ethiopian investigators announced the findings of the preliminary report, but it has not yet been published.

At the time CNN anchor and aviation expert Richard Quest described the move as “unusual.”

“We are slightly taking their word for what they are saying is in the report,” Quest said.

CNN aviation analyst Miles O’Brien believes the 737 Max fleet should have been grounded before the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

O’Brien said there was enough information for Boeing to ground the planes in the aftermath of the Lion Air accident, also involving a 737 Max 8 jet, in October 2018.

That plane crashed into the sea off Indonesia shortly after take off, killing 189 people, and some similarities have been discovered with the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

“Why wasn’t the aircraft grounded then?” he asked.

Five members of one family were among those killed when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa.

Carol Karanja was traveling from Canada to Kenya with her mother, Ann Wangui Karanja, and three children: Ryan Njoroge, 7, Kellie Pauls, 4, and 9-month-old Rubi Pauls.

And Carol had texted her sister saying she felt uneasy about the flight.

“My heart isn’t really excited. I feel like there’s something bad ahead, but I don’t know what,”the WhatsApp message read.

She was so worried about the trip that she also sent a similar message expressing her fear to her father before she boarded the flight.

Following the tragic death of three generations of the family, Carol’s brother said he has no interest in pointing fingers.

“If you look at having to point blame on others, I think it will make the healing process a bit more hard for us,” Quindos Mwangi Karanja told CNN.

“I might not know exactly whether to blame the plane but let the experts finish their investigations. And then they are able to tell us the way forward.”

The preliminary report in the Ethopian Airlines crash will likely place additional pressure on Boeing as it prepares to reveal key information on its first quarter performance.

On April 9 the company will report first quarter deliveries and orders, and on April 24 it will report financial results for the first three months of the year.

Analysts expect the number of deliveries to be hit by ongoing problems with the 737 Max, and financial results are expected to include an estimate for how much grounding the planes will cost in compensation to its airline customers.

Cowen aerospace analyst Cai von Rumohr estimates that cost is already $2 billion, and the price goes up every day the planes aren’t flying.

Boeing executives will then face shareholders on April 29 at its annual meeting in Chicago.

You can read more about the potential implications for Boeing in our CNN Business report.

EthiopianAirlinesFlight 302 experienced “repetitive uncommanded aircraft nose-down conditions” before its crash, theEthiopianTransportation Minister said Thursday.

Dagmawit Moges described symptoms that appear similar to the Lion Air accident in October – which also involved a Boeing 737 Max 8 jet – although she did not refer to that incident in her remarks, nor did she specify what caused the plane to veer downward.

Moges spoke in a news conference ahead of the expectedrelease of a preliminary report on the crash.

Based on that finding, she said accident investigators are recommending Boeing review the “the aircraft flight control system related to the flight controllability,” and that regulators ensure fixes are “adequately addressed” before returning the 737 MAX fleet to service.

EthiopianAirlinessaid in a separate statement that “it was very unfortunate” the pilots “could not recover the airplane from the persistence (of) nose diving.”

Problems with an automated system known as MCAS were reported in the Lion Air crash in October. The preliminary report in that incident described the pilots repeatedly fighting with MCAS as it repeatedly pushed the aircraft’s nose down, and ultimately drove it into ocean.The report said the plane experienced “automatic AND (aircraft nose down) trim active followed by flight crew commanded ANU (aircraft nose up) trim” and it “continued for the remainder of the flight.”

While Ethiopian investigators announced in a press conference the findings of the preliminary report, they haven’t actually published the report.

CNN anchor and aviation expert Richard Quest said this was “unusual.”

“We are slightly taking their word for what they are saying is in the report,” he said.

To some extent, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing tried to address many of the issues raised in by investigators after the Lion Air crash back in November.

On November 7, 2018, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive because the flight control problem experienced on that doomed flight was “likely to exist or develop in other products” of the same aircraft.

The airworthiness directive (AD) required a revision of the Airplane Flight Manual and the Operating Procedures.

Crucially, the AD did not ground the 737 Max series aircraft.

The FAA has already faced scrutiny for its decision not to ground the aircraft earlier, and this preliminary report from Ethiopian Airlines 302 is likely to increase that scrutiny.

On November 11, 2018, Boeing issued a message to operators of the 737 Max series aircraft because it had “received many requests for the same information from 737 fleet operators” following the Lion Air crash. The message explained the automated MCAS anti-stall system, which adjusts the trim to try to avoid an imminent stall.

737 pilots who have spoken with CNN say this system was not explained during the transition training to the newer 737 Max series aircraft. Those pilots were essentially in the dark about a new system on the plane.

This message, issued after the Lion Air crash, tried to address that by offering pilots more information. But the preliminary report from the crash of Ethiopian Airlines 302 is once again likely to amplify the scrutiny Boeing is facing about the 737 Max aircraft.

It may also give some insight as to why Boeing and the FAA announced it would take additional time – a few more weeks – to get the 737 Max aircraft once again approved for service.

“A preliminary report should have information about the flight crew’s experience, the weather conditions, any maintenance issues with previous flights, relevant airworthiness directives, a detailed timeline of the flight, information about the co*ckpit voice recorder, instrument readings and system activations from the flight data recorder, etc,” says CNN’s Oren Lieberman.

“In other words, there is a tremendous amount of information that we’re still looking for about Ethiopian Airlines flight 302.”

Ethiopian accident investigators have not identified any damage to the aircraft’s sensors that could have contributed to the March 10 crash.

“We can confirm that we haven’t found any foreign object damage,”Amdeye Ayalew, AIB investigation chairman, told reporters at a news conference on Thursday, speaking through a translator.

He also said investigators have not identified any “structural design problem” with the aircraft.

Dagmawit Moges, the Ethiopian Minister of Transport, said investigators have reviewed the co*ckpit voice and flight data recorders, as well as records such as “additional documents gathered from the operator” of the plane.

Ethiopian Minister of Transport Dagmawit Moges said that based on initial information gathered during the investigation, two safety recommendations have been forwarded in the preliminary report.

They are:

Since repetitive and commanded aircraft nose down conditions are noticed in this preliminary investigation, it is recommended that the aircraft flight control system relative to the flight controllability shall be reviewed by the manufacturer.Aviation authorities shall verify that the review of aircraft control system related to flight controllability has been adequately addressed by the manufacturer before release of the aircraft to operations.

Ethiopian Airlines put out a statement on Twitter following the press conference in Addis Ababa.

It said: The preliminary report “clearly showed” that pilots on Flight 302 followed the Boeing recommendations.

Airline CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said: “All of us at Ethiopian Airlines are still going through deep mourning for the loss of our loved ones.”

Adding: “Meanwhile we are very proud of our pilots’ compliances to follow the emergency procedures.”

Initial findings from Ethiopian investigators found that:

The aircraft possessed a valid certificate of air worthinessThe crew obtained the necessary license and qualifications to conduct the flightThe take off role appeared very normalThe crew performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by the manufacturer but were not able to control the aircraft

The preliminary report into the Ethiopian Airlines crash has determined that “the crew followed all expected procedures without managing to take back control of the aircraft,” according to a Western diplomatic source briefed on the investigation.

The report is expected to say that the aircraft had normal certification and the crew was certified for flying this aircraft and had the necessary training.

The recommendations will include that the manufacturer should review the anti-stall system and that the certifying authority ensures that this issue has been dealt with before authorizing any further flights of this aircraft, the source added.

Probably not. Preliminary reports often don’t come to conclusions, but rather offer early raw data as a way to help safety officials take initial steps.

It’s the first official report from the disaster and is required by the investigating authority to be produced within 30 days of an incident.

Speaking to CNN, pilot and aviation analyst Miles O’Brien gave his take on what could have happened in the co*ckpit once pilots reportedly turned off the automatic flight control system.

“They were left with a manual wheel to try to get the nose in the proper orientation and evidently what we are hearing is, that maybe the wheel didn’t have enough authority, that it was too hard to move, or could not move fast enough, given the amount of altitude they had in order to recover. So that put them in a situation where they followed the book, and the recovery procedure was not good enough.
“The idea that they would have this troubleshooting system, they followed the book and it wan’t good enough, is just horrifying,” said pilot and CNN aviation analyst Miles O’Brien.

This comes in response to reports in the Wall Street Journal with those familiar with the investigation said that Ethiopian Airlines pilots had initially followed Boeing’s emergency procedure but were unable to regain control of the MAX 8 jet.

This included turning off the automated flight-control system, called the MCAS.

The release of the official report caps off weeks of leaks and speculation about the cause of the crash, much of it centering on the role of the MCAS anti-stall software.

Reports from the Wall Street Journal suggest that the MCASautomatically activated before the plane nose-dived into the ground.

In the Lion Air crash, the MCAS forced the plane’s nose down more than 24 times before it finally hit water,according toa preliminary investigation by Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee, which found the system was responding to a faulty sensor.

The Wall Street Journal has also reported that pilots initially followed emergency procedures that were laid out by Boeingbefore the crash.

Questions have also been asked over whether pilots had sufficient training with the system.

Pilots transitioning to the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft from older 737 models were given a short, self-administered online course that made no mention of the MCAS system, pilots’ unions spokesmen for two American carriers told CNN.

Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam has also said that the flight simulator that pilots trained on to learn how to fly the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane did not replicate the MCAS automated feature.

Safety investigators on Thursday will release a much anticipated preliminary report on the deadly crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, providing the first official clues as to the cause of the disaster.

The new Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed the morning of March 10 after taking off from Addis Ababa on its way to Nairobi, Kenya, killing all 157 people on board.

The disaster was the second such crash of a Max 8 jet in less than six months and prompted worldwide grounding of the plane.

In October, all 189 people on board Lion Air Flight 610 were killed when the flight went down over the Java Sea in Indonesia 13 minutes after takeoff.

The Federal Aviation Administration agency said it hadidentified similaritiesbetween the Ethiopian Airlines crash and the Lion Air crash in Indonesia.

At the center of the investigation is a flight-control feature, called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), that was installed on both planes.

The MCAS is a system that automatically lowers the nose of the plane when it receives information from its external angle of attack (AOA) sensors that the aircraft is flying too slowly or steeply, and at risk of stalling.

The report is the airlines’ first from the disaster and is required by the investigating authority to be produced within 30 days of an incident.