'Clear similarities' in Boeing crashes, Ethiopia minister says

Debris including a charred part of an onboard safety instruction card is seen at the crash site of an Ethiopian airways operated Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on March 16 at Hama Quntushele village near Bishoftu in Oromia region. AFP

Mourners of victims of the crash of Ethiopian Airlines react during the mass funeral at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 17. The incident killed 157 people onboard and caused the worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft model involved in the disaster. AFP

By Jung Min-ho

Data from the Ethiopian Airlines crash a week ago suggest “clear similarities” with an earlier incident involving the same kind of Boeing aircraft, Ethiopia's transport minister said Sunday (local time).

Dagmawit Moges made the claim based on preliminary data retrieved from the black box of the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, which crashed in Ethiopia on March 10 ― only six months after a deadly crash involving the identical model in Indonesia.

“Clear similarities were noted between Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Indonesian Lion Air Flight 610, which will be the subject of further study during the investigation,” Dagmawit told journalists.

The black box was in good condition and a preliminary report about the crash will be released within 30 days, she noted.

Both planes flew with erratic altitude changes ― an indication that the pilots were struggling to control the aircraft ― and went down less than 15 minutes after takeoff.

Suspicions emerged that faulty sensors or software may have contributed to the incidents.

Concerns over possible errors have led China, Australia, Canada and many other countries to ground the MAX 8 planes.

Boeing now faces the challenge of proving the model is safe. About 350 MAX 8 planes were in operation around the world before they were taken out of circulation, and the company had more than 4,600 on order, according to the FAA. Airlines around the world are cautiously watching Boeing's and the governments' investigations into the Ethiopia disaster.

According to Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's data, airlines here planned to purchase 114 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes by 2027. Jeju Air is contracted to buy 56, followed by Korean Air (30), Eastar Jet (18) and T'way Air (10).