Boeing has faced mounting pressure after Ethiopia’s transport minister noted parallels between its crash and one in Indonesia, bringing into question the safety of software installed in Boeing 737 MAX planes.
Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges said on Sunday that flight data from the Ethiopian airways black boxes suggested strong parallels with a crash off Indonesia last October.
“Clear similarities were noted between Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Indonesian Lion Air Flight 610, which would be the subject of further study during the investigation,” TrMoges told journalists.
He added that a preliminary report would be released within 30 days.
Last Sunday the Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed after take-off from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board.
The Lion Air plane crashed in October last year, with all 189 passengers on board killed.
Both planes were Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft and crashed minutes after take-off, with pilots reporting flight control problems.In both cases, data showed the planes seemed to experience sharp climbs and descents before the crash.
At the centre of scrutiny is a new automated system in the Boeing MAX model that guides the nose lower to avoid stalling.
Lawmakers and safety experts are asking how thoroughly regulators vetted the system and how well pilots around the world were trained for it when their airlines bought new planes.
Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg reaffirmed that the company was supporting the investigation. He added the company is “finalizing its development of a previously announced software update that will address the MCAS flight control law’s behavior in response to erroneous sensor inputs.”
Authorities worldwide have banned the use of Boeing 737 Max 8 following the Ethiopian Airlines crash.
Additionally on Sunday, ceremonies were held for Kenya and Ethiopia to honour the victims.
Thousands gathered in the Holy Trinity cathedral in Addis Ababa, where empty coffins were draped in the national flag. None of the bodies have been formally identified due to the impact of the crash.
