Ethiopia releases report on deadly 2019 737-8 Max accident

NAIROBI, Kenya

Ethiopia on Friday released the final aircraft accident investigation on a plane that crashed in 2019, killing all 157 people on board.

According to the investigation report, the plane’s angle of attack sensor failed immediately after takeoff, said Dagmawit Moges, Ethiopia’s transport and communications minister.

“The malfunctioning on the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system caused the accident,” she said.

Moges added that all the crew were licensed, certified, and qualified to operate the aircraft under Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority standards.

According to Moges, the release of the investigation report was delayed due to lockdowns imposed by countries across the globe over the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March 2019, Ethiopia’s flight ET 302 Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft flying to the Kenyan capital Nairobi crashed, killing all 157 people on board from 35 different countries. The plane went down six minutes after takeoff.