Ethiopian Airlines

Summary

Ethiopian Airlines 302 crashed six minutes after takeoff when MCAS repeatedly pushed the nose down following a faulty sensor reading. The crew's attempt to re-engage electric trim at high speed made recovery impossible. All 157 aboard were killed. This second 737 MAX disaster in five months triggered the worldwide grounding of all MAX aircraft and exposed fundamental flaws in how Boeing and the FAA had certified the aircraft.

Cause & Investigation

Timeline & Safety Improvements

1. 2019-03-10

   Flight ET302 disaster

   Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating for Ethiopian Airlines. 157 fatalities, 0 survivors.

2. Investigation

   Formal investigation opened

   Conducted by: Ethiopian Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Ethiopia.

3. Findings

   Cause determined: MCAS software failure — same systemic fault as Lion Air 610

   A faulty angle-of-attack sensor activated MCAS, pitching the nose down repeatedly. The crew initially followed the correct runaway stabilizer checklist and switched off electric trim, but re-engaged it while at high speed, making manual trim recovery impossible against MCAS forces. The aircraft impacted terrain near Bishoftu 6 minutes after takeoff. This was the second 737 MAX crash in five months, confirming a systemic design flaw.

4. Safety change 1

   Improvement implemented

   The global 737 MAX grounding was triggered by this second crash.

5. Safety change 2

   Improvement implemented

   FAA's certification practices were subject to U.S. congressional investigation and reform legislation.

6. Safety change 3

   Improvement implemented

   Boeing faced criminal prosecution and paid over $2.5 billion in fines and compensation.

7. Safety change 4

   Improvement implemented

   International regulators required independent validation before lifting the MAX grounding in their jurisdictions.

8. Safety change 5

   Improvement implemented

   FAA reforms mandated greater independence between Boeing engineers and FAA designees during certification.