Preliminary Report Says Ethiopian Airlines Pilots Followed Boeing's Approved Emergency Procedures

Ethiopian authorities said in a press conference Thursday that initial findings from an investigation of a 737 MAX crash that killed 157 people found that the pilots followed Boeing Co BA's approved emergency procedures.

What Happened

Air accident investigators in Ethiopia said a flight-control system was activated repetitively during the first six minutes of the flight, The Wall Street Journal reported. This resulted in the plane's nose being pushed down. 

The authorities have yet to draw a firm conclusion on what caused the crash, but they are recommending Boeing review its system, WSJ said. The authorities have yet to publicly release the preliminary report, which was submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Why It's Important

Boeing faces the pressure of taking the necessary steps to fix its system and "defend the future safety" of its 737 MAX, WSJ said. The final report on the Ethiopian crash could take a year to complete, 

The jet model is grounded worldwide. 

What's Next

One of the biggest questions investigators will look at is why, if the pilots followed Boeing's standard procedures to circumvent the flight control system, the incident ended in a crash.

Boeing said after a similar 737 MAX fatal crash in Indonesia last year that its procedures would have worked, WSJ said.

The U.S. Department of Justice and other government agencies will continue investigating if Boeing offered misleading or incomplete information in order to win safety certification for the plane. 

Related Links:

Boeing Announces 737 MAX Software Update; Feinseth Says To Buy Weakness In Jet Manufacturer's Stock

Argus Downgrades Boeing On Near-Term 737 Max Risk

Photo by Acefitt/Wikimedia

Posted In: NewsTravelMediaGeneral737 MAXEthiopian AirlinesWall Street Journal
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