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WORLD NEWS Thursday 14 March 2019

Boeing jet grounded in much of world after Ethiopia crash

By ELIAS MESERET "There was nothing to see,"
YIDNEK KIRUBEL he said. "It looked like the
Associated Press earth had swallowed the
HEJERE, Ethiopia (AP) — aircraft. ... We were sur-
Much of the world, includ- prised!" He said it explained
ing the entire European why rescue officials quickly
Union, grounded the Boe- sent bulldozers to begin
ing jetliner involved in the digging out large pieces of
Ethiopian Airlines crash or debris.
banned it from their air- Ethiopian Airlines, widely
space, leaving the United seen as Africa's best-man-
States as one of the few aged airline, grounded its
remaining operators of remaining four 737 Max 8s
the plane involved in two until further notice. The car-
deadly accidents in just rier had been using five of
five months. the planes and was await-
The European Aviation ing delivery of 25 more.
Safety Agency took steps In this photo taken Monday, March 11, 2019, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane being built for Air As night fell, the airline of-
to keep the Boeing 737 Canada sits parked at Boeing Co.'s Renton Assembly Plant in Renton, Wash. fered no new updates on
Max 8 out of the air, joining Associated Press the investigation. An airline
Asian and Middle Eastern spokesman said victims' re-
governments and carriers returned to Istanbul after Max 8 in October. grounding these planes un- mains should be identified
that also gave in to safety British airspace was closed "Thus far, our review shows til an investigation can be in about five days.
concerns in the aftermath to the aircraft. The official no systemic performance performed." Some insights into the di-
of Sunday's crash, which spoke on condition of ano- issues and provides no ba- Consumer Reports called saster and its cause could
killed all 157 people on nymity because he was not sis to order grounding the on airlines and the FAA to take months, aviation ex-
board. authorized to speak pub- aircraft," acting FAA Ad- ground the jets until a thor- perts said.
Referring to the Lion Air licly. ministrator Daniel K. Elwell ough safety investigation is "The conclusions that will
crash in Indonesia that U.S.-based Boeing has said said in a statement. "Nor complete. come out of its probe will
killed 189 people last year, it has no reason to pull the have other civil aviation Even Trump weighed in, be beneficial to the rest of
European regulators said popular aircraft from the authorities provided data tweeting that additional the world," Ethiopian Prime
Tuesday that "similar causes skies and does not intend to us that would warrant "complexity creates dan- Minister Abiy Ahmed said
may have contributed to to issue new recommenda- action." ger" in modern aircraft and Tuesday at a news confer-
both events." tions about the aircraft to Some U.S. airlines expressed hinders pilots from making ence with visiting French
British regulators indicated customers. Boeing's CEO support for the Boeing "split second decisions" to President Emmanuel Ma-
possible trouble with a re- Dennis Muilenburg also model, and American Air- ensure passengers' safety. cron. "These types of ac-
portedly damaged flight spoke with President Don- lines and Southwest con- He did not specifically men- cidents break everyone's
data recorder, saying they ald Trump and reiterated tinued flying them. A vice tion the crashes but said, "I heart. I hope we will learn
based their decision on the that the 737 Max 8 is safe, president for American, don't know about you, but from this crash."
fact that they did not have the company said. Its tech- the world's biggest carrier, I don't want Albert Einstein On Tuesday a group of offi-
"sufficient information" from nical team, meanwhile, which has 24 Max 8s, said to be my pilot." cials from China, which also
the recorder. joined American, Israeli, they had "full confidence in The Ethiopian Airlines plane grounded planes, paused
Turkish Airlines, Oman Air, Kenyan and other aviation the aircraft." crashed six minutes after in their work at the scene
Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ice- experts in the investigation Safety experts cautioned taking off for Nairobi, killing to reflect with an offering
landair and South Kore- led by Ethiopian authorities. against drawing too many people from 35 countries. of incense, fruit, bread rolls
an airline Eastar Jet were The Federal Aviation Ad- comparisons too soon with A pilot who saw the crash and a plastic container of
among the latest carriers ministration also backed the Lion Air crash in Octo- site minutes after the di- the Ethiopian flatbread in-
to halt use of the Boeing the jet's airworthiness and ber. But others in the U.S. saster told the AP that jera.
model. The United Arab said it was reviewing all began pressing for action. the plane appeared to As the global team
Emirates, Malaysia, Austra- available data. It said it The Association of Profes- have "slid directly into the searched for answers, a
lia, New Zealand, Fiji and expects Boeing will soon sional Flight Attendants, ground." Capt. Solomon woman stood near the
Singapore also suspended complete improvements to which represents more Gizaw was among the first crash site, wailing. Kebe-
all flights in their airspace or an automated anti-stall sys- than 26,000 flight atten- people dispatched to find bew Legess said she was
into or out of their airports. tem suspected of contrib- dants at American Air- the plane. The wreckage the mother of a young Ethi-
A Turkish Airlines official said uting to the deadly crash lines, called on CEO Doug was discovered by Ethio- opian Airlines crew mem-
two Britain-bound planes of another new Boeing 737 Parker to "strongly consider pia's air force. ber among the dead.q