Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Ethiopian_Airlines_Flight_302

Coordinates: 8°52′37″N 39°15′04″E

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was a scheduled international
Ethiopian Airlines Flight
passenger flight from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in
302
Ethiopia to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. On
10 March 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft crashed six minutes
after takeoff near the town of Bishoftu, killing all 157 passengers and
crew aboard.

Flight 302 was the first fatal accident occurring on an Ethiopian

Airlines aircraft since Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashed in January
2010.[2] It is the deadliest aircraft incident in Ethiopian Airlines
history, superseding the fatal hijacking of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 ET-AVJ, the aircraft involved, in
near Comoros in 1996.[3] It is also the deadliest aircraft accident to February 2019
occur in Ethiopia, superseding the crash of an Ethiopian Air Force Accident
Antonov An-26 in 1982, which killed 73.[4] Date 10 March 2019
Summary Crashed shortly
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 model first flew on 29 January 2016 and
after take-off;
entered service in 2017, making it one of the newest aircraft in Boeing's
under
commercial airliner offerings, and the newest generation of Boeing investigation
737.[5] As of January 2019, 350 have been produced, and one other has Site Tulu Fara village
crashed, Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia in October 2018.[6][3][7][8] near Bishoftu,
Ethiopia
Following the accident, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 model was grounded in 8°52′37″N
several countries and by several airlines. 39°15′04″E[1]
Aircraft
Aircraft type Boeing 737 MAX
Contents 8
Operator Ethiopian Airlines
Flight
Accident IATA flight No. ET302
ICAO flight No. ETH302
Passengers and crew
Call sign ETHIOPIAN 302
Reactions
Groundings Registration ET-AVJ
Investigation Flight origin Addis Ababa
Bole
See also
International
References Airport, Addis
External links Ababa, Ethiopia
Destination Jomo Kenyatta
International
Flight Airport, Nairobi,
Kenya
The aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, registered ET-AVJ (construction Occupants 157
number 62450, manufacturer's serial number 7243), powered by two
Passengers 149
CFM International LEAP engines.[9] The aircraft was manufactured in
Crew 8

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October 2018 and delivered on 15 November 2018, making it around Fatalities 157
four months old at the time of the accident.[10][11] Survivors 0

Accident
Flight 302 was a scheduled international passenger flight from
Addis Ababa to Nairobi. The aircraft took off from Addis Ababa
08:38 local time (05:38 UTC) with 149 passengers and 8 crew on
board.[6] The pilot reported a problem and requested to return to
Addis Ababa,[9] but the aircraft then disappeared from radar
screens and crashed at 08:44, six minutes after takeoff.[3][9][12]
Flight tracking data showed the aircraft's altitude and rate of
climb/descent fluctuating.[13] It crashed near the town of
Bishoftu, 62 kilometres (39 mi) southeast of Bole International
[Full screen]
Airport.[14] Photographs of the accident site show a large crater
with only small pieces of wreckage.[15] There were no
survivors.[6]

Passengers and crew

All passengers and crew on board, 157 in total, were killed in the accident.[3] Many of the passengers were
travelling to Nairobi to attend the fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly.[16] Twelve of the
victims worked for the United Nations,[17] and at least another seven had other UN affiliations.[18]

Among the victims were the Italian archaeologist and Councillor for Cultural Heritage of Sicily, Sebastiano Tusa,
and Nigeria-Canadian academic Pius Adesanmi.[19][20][21] It was originally reported that there were five Dutch
victims,[2] but this was later corrected to state that they were German.[22] Slovak politician Anton Hrnko lost his
wife and two children in the crash.[3] A Greek man and an Emirati man missed the flight and avoided the
disaster.[18]

According to the airline, the nationalities of the passengers included the following:[23]

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Nationality Number of passenger fatalities

Kenya 32

Canada 18

Ethiopia 9

China 8

Italy 8

United States 8

France 7

United Kingdom 7

Egypt 6

Germany 5

India 4

Slovakia 4

Austria 3

Russia 3

Sweden 3

Israel 2

Morocco 2

Poland 2

Spain 2

Belgium 1

Djibouti 1

Indonesia 1

Ireland 1

Mozambique 1

Nepal 1

Nigeria 1

Norway 1

Rwanda 1

Saudi Arabia 1

Serbia 1

Somalia 1

Sudan 1

Togo 1

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Nationality Number of passenger fatalities

Uganda 1

Yemen 1

United Nations laissez-passer 1

Total 149

Reactions
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed offered his condolences to the families of the victims.[6] Ethiopian Airlines
CEO Tewolde Gebremariam visited the accident site, confirmed that there were no survivors and expressed
sympathy and condolences.[24] Boeing issued a statement of condolence.[25]

In response to the crash, Ethiopian parliament declared 11 March as a day of national mourning.[26] During the
opening of the fourth United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, a minute of silence was observed in
sympathy for the victims of the crash.[27]

Flight International commented that the accident would likely increase unease felt in the aftermath of the Lion Air
Flight 610 accident in October 2018, that similarly occurred shortly after take-off.[28]

Groundings
As a result of the accident and the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, which occurred five months prior to the Ethiopian
crash, some airlines/countries began grounding the Boeing 737 MAX due to safety concerns. Airlines grounding
their MAX fleets included Aerolineas Argentinas[29], Aeromexico,[29] Cayman Airways,[30] Ethiopian Airlines (of
its remaining MAX fleet),[31] GOL of Brazil,[29] MIAT Mongolian Airlines,[32] Royal Air Maroc,[33] and Comair
Limited of South Africa;[34] China's CAAC[35], Indonesia's DGCA,[36][35], Singapore's CAAS,[37] and South Korea's
Office of Civil Aviation[38] have grounded all MAX jets under their jurisdiction, leaving 143 MAX aircraft grounded
as a result.

Investigation
The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents in Ethiopia. The
aircraft manufacturer Boeing stated that it is prepared to work with the United States National Transportation
Safety Board and assist Ethiopian Airlines.[25] The United States Federal Aviation Administration will also assist in
the investigation.[39]

Both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder were recovered from the crash site on 11 March.[40]

Witnesses reported the aircraft was making "strange noises" and leaving a "trail of smoke" behind it just before it
crashed.[41][42]

On 11 March, the Federal Aviation Administration commented that the Boeing 737 Max 8 model was airworthy.
However, due to concerns on the operation of the aircraft, the FAA mandated Boeing to change its design, effective
by April.[43] It stated that Boeing "plans to update training requirements and flight crew manuals in response to
the design change" to the aircraft's automated protection system called as the Maneuvering Characteristics
Augmentation System (MCAS). The changes will also include the activation of the MCAS and the AoA signal
enhancements.[44]

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See also
2019 in aviation
2019 in Ethiopia
List of accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 737
List of aircraft accidents and incidents resulting in at least 50 fatalities
List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
Ethiopian Airlines accidents and incidents

References
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(http://avherald.com/h?article=4c534c4a&opt=0). avherald.com.
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dutch-among-157-killed-ethiopian-airlines-crash). Netherlands Times. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
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aerospace/boeings-737-max-takes-off-on-first-flight/). The Seattle Times. 29 January 2016. Retrieved
10 March 2019.
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cboAllModel=737&ViewReportF=View+Report). Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
9. "ET-AVJ" (https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20190310-0). Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved
10 March 2019.
10. "Ethiopian Airlines ET-AVJ (Boeing 737 Next Gen – MSN 62450) Airfleets aviation" (https://www.airfleets.net
/ficheapp/plane-b737ng-62450.htm). www.airfleets.net.
11. "Ethiopian accident involves four-month old 737 Max" (https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ethiopian-
accident-involves-four-month-old-737-max-456486/). flightglobal.com. 10 March 2019. Retrieved 10 March
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/blog/flightradar24-data-regarding-the-crash-of-ethiopian-airlines-flight-302/). Flightradar24 Blog. 10 March
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14. "Ethiopian Airlines flight crashes with 157 on board, fatalities feared" (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world
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/ethiopian-airlines-boeing-737-max8-crash-190310125352109.html). Al Jazeera. 10 March 2019. Retrieved
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16. "Crashed Ethiopian plane carried at least 19 UN officials" (https://www.smh.com.au/world/africa/crashed-

ethiopian-plane-carried-at-least-19-un-officials-20190311-p5138o.html). The Sydney Morning Herald. 11
March 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
17. "12 VN'ers onder slachtoffers crash Ethiopië" (https://www.telegraaf.nl/nieuws/3269480/12-vn-ers-onder-
slachtoffers-crash-ethiopie) [12 United Nations among victims of crash in Ethiopia]. De Telegraaf. 10 March
2019. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
18. " 'My lucky day': How one man missed flight" (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47522608). BBC News.
11 March 2019. "At least 19 victims were affiliated with the United Nations."
19. "Ethiopian Airlines plane crashes, no survivors, says airline boss" (https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-
updates/incidents/ethiopian-airlines-plane-crashes-with-deaths-and-casualties-unconfirmed/news-
story/bed7d1e1a89f6fc015fa795817b914d3). news.com.au. 10 March 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
20. 87.7 Kampala FM (10 March 2019). "Ugandan Police Commissioner Christine Alalo is among the 157
Passengers that have lost their lives in Ethiopian Airlines Crash" (https://twitter.com/KampalaFm/status
/1104748102332891142). Twitter. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
21. "BREAKING: Nigeria's Pius Adesanmi Killed In Ethiopian Airlines Plane Crash" (http://saharareporters.com
/2019/03/10/breaking-nigeria%E2%80%99s-pius-adesanmi-killed-ethiopian-airlines-plane-crash). Sahara
Reporters. 10 March 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
22. Van Joolen, Olof; Kalkman, Niels. "Ministerie: waarschijnlijk geen Nederlandse slachtoffers vliegramp
Ethiopië" (https://www.telegraaf.nl/nieuws/3268425/ministerie-waarschijnlijk-geen-nederlandse-slachtoffers-
vliegramp-ethiopie) [Minister: Probably no Dutch victims in Ethiopian aircraft disaster] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf.
Retrieved 10 March 2019.
23. "Accident Bulletin no. 3 Issued on March 10, 2019 at 4:59 PM (https://twitter.com/flyethiopian/status
/1104744539686866944)" (Image link (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D1TXPlRWwAAIxXm.jpg)). Ethiopian
Airlines official Twitter. Retrieved on 12 March 2019.
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/10/world/africa/ap-af-ethiopia-plane-crash-the-latest.html). The New York Times. The New York Times
Company. Associated Press. 10 March 2019. ISSN 0362-4331 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331).
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25. "Boeing Statement on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302" (https://boeing.mediaroom.com/news-releases-
statements?item=130401). Boeing. 10 March 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
26. "Ethiopia declares Monday a day of national mourning" (http://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/ethiopia-
declares-monday-a-day-of-national-mourning/). SABC News. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
27. "WATCH: Minute of silence for Ethiopia crash at UN talks as search operation continues"
(https://www.news24.com/Africa/News/watch-minute-of-silence-for-ethiopia-crash-at-un-talks-as-search-
operation-continues-20190311). News24. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
28. "Ethiopian crash likely to aggravate unease over 737 Max" (https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles
/ethiopian-crash-likely-to-aggravate-unease-over-737-456488/). Flightglobal. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
29. "Aerolineas, Aeromexico, and GOL ground their 737 MAX fleets" (https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles
/aerolineas-aeromexico-and-gol-ground-737-max-fleets-456539/). Flight Global. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
30. "CAL suspends Max 8 operations" (https://www.caymanairways.com/CALsuspendsMax8Operations).
www.caymanairways.com. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
31. "Ethiopian Airlines grounds its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet" (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-airplane-
grounding/ethiopian-airlines-grounds-its-boeing-737-max-8-fleet-idUSKBN1QS0D2). Reuters. Retrieved
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(https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/11/airlines-and-agencies-reassure-alarmed-passengers-about-
boeing-737-max-8). The Guardian. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
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d9kaw/). Reuters. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
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36. "Indonesia to temporarily ground Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets for inspections" (https://www.reuters.com/article
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43. "Boeing design changes on 737 Max 8 aircraft to be made mandatory after crashes"
(https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/11/airlines-and-agencies-reassure-alarmed-passengers-about-
boeing-737-max-8). The Guardian. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
44. "US says Boeing 737 MAX safe to fly after Ethiopia crash" (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/us-
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External links
Press release (https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/corporate/media/media-relations/press-release/detail/1078)
– Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (https://boeing.mediaroom.com/news-releases-statements?item=130401) –
Boeing
Accident description (https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20190310-0) at the Aviation Safety
Network

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