Ethiopia plane crash: Crew followed Boeing procedures

The crew of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed last month followed all procedures as told by Boeing but could not control the jet, Ethiopia's Minister of Transport Dagmawit Moges said. The Boeing 737 Max 8 jet of the airlines crashed on March 10 shortly after takeoff from capital Addis Ababa, killing all 157 on board.

Addis Ababa: The crew of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed last month claiming lives of 157 people followed all procedures as told by Boeing but could not control the jet, a preliminary report said.

Addressing media in a press conference on Thursday, Ethiopia's Minister of Transport Dagmawit Moges said, "The initial findings of the investigation, on the basis of initial information gathered during the course of the investigation, the following facts have been determined. Number one – the aircraft possessed a valid certificate of air worthiness. The second one – the crew obtained the license and qualifications to conduct the flight. And third – the takeoff roll appeared very normal. And the fourth one is – the crew performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by the manufacturer, but was not able to control the aircraft."

The Boeing 737 Max 8 jet of the airlines crashed on March 10 shortly after takeoff from capital Addis Ababa, killing all 157 on board.

It was the second crash of a 737 Max within five months, after a Lion Air crash in Indonesia.

Following the Ethiopian disaster, the Max jets have been grounded worldwide pending a software fix that Boeing is workng on but which must still receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulators.