ADDIS ABABA- The Ministry of Transport which is also heading the investigation committee into the doomed ET 302 737 Max Boeing Aircraft is expected to respond to Boeing’s contradictory claims on pilots emergency procedures.
On Monday, Boeing’s CEO Dennis Muilenburg on company’s annual shareholder meeting in Chicago said the pilots did not “completely” follow the procedures that Boeing had outlined to prevent the kind of malfunction that probably caused a March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet, according to CNN.
The CEO’s comment is a sharp contradiction to the company’s previous report that it owned the problem and was working to upgrade the aircraft. Immediately after preliminary result was released by the investigation committee, Boeing has accepted its role in the crashes. “It’s our responsibility to eliminate this risk. We own it and we know how to do it,” Muilenburg said on April 4.”
However, Boeing also announced multiple times that it is working to make aircrafts safer following two recent deadly crashes. The company’s anti-stall software, called MCAS, was a common link in both crashes.
Reaching out to the Ministry of Transport to react to Boeing’s claim, the ministry told The Ethiopian Herald that it would hold press conference on the issue shortly.
In its preliminary findings from the ongoing investigation into the doomed jet, the committee reported that the crew performed all procedures provided by Boeing but was unable to control the aircraft.
The crew obtained required qualifications and was capable of flying and the takeoff appeared very normal. The aircraft’s airworthiness was certified, the report indicated.
Ministry of Transport Dagmawit Mogoss previously said that the pilots of the crashed aircraft were trying exhaustively and repeatedly to control the plane but the attempts went unsuccessful.
The pilots who were qualified and accredited could not recover the airplane from the persistence and ‘uncommanded’ nose diving, she said.
“The accident investigation committee headed by Ethiopian Transport Ministry that has been in charge of investigation is working in line with international standards and aviation investigation procedures.
The team of investigation is composed of national transport safety board of America representing the manufacturer and state of design and Ethiopian airlines, some professionals from civil aviation authority of Ethiopia and the bureau of inquiry and analysis for civil aviation safety of France. Based on the initial information the team gathered, two safety investigations have been provided.
Since repetitive uncommanded nose down conditions are noticed in the preliminary investigation, it is recommended that the aircraft flight control system related to the flight controllability shall be reviewed by the manufacture, according to the recommendation of the report.
Aviation authorities shall verify that the review of the aircraft flight control system related to flight controllability has been adequately addressed by the manufacturer before releasing of the aircrafts to operation, also the report revealed.
Herald May 3/2019
BY DESTA GEBREHIWOT
