Nairobi-bound Flight ET302 had crashed to the ground at 8:38 am on March 10, 2019, just after six minutes of take-off from Addus Ababa's Bole International airport.Exactly a year after the Ethiopian Airlines crash, families and relatives of the victims are still haunted by what happened to the Boeing 737 Max 8 that carried and lost all 157 passengers on board. 

Read Also: Future Airplanes Will Have Self-Healing Wings Using Technology Inspired By Human Skin

A memorial will be held at the crash site

There were a total of 33 nations which includes Canada, the United States, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Italy, and France, were on board Flight 302, and all of their families flew from around the world to visit Ethiopia for the memorial at the crash site.

The organizers have said that the program will include tree planting and a reading of all of the victims' names to be remembered. 

Boeing 737
(Photo : Screenshot from: Time Official Website)

It was the second plane crash that involved a Boeing 737 Max

In October 2018, the first accident involving Indonesia's Lion Air killed all 189 passengers on board, which the Boeing 737 Max carried as well. It was reported to be the worst airline disaster in Indonesia.

CEO of Boeing was forced to step down

The unfortunate accident cost the company billions and faced hundreds of lawsuits from the families and forced the CEO to step down.

The interim reports from Ethiopia's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau resulted in linking the crash to the airplane's MCAS or the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System anti-stall software.

The results also stated that there were no issues with the pilots' handling of the plane and that the problem was with the Boeing 737 Max itself, wherein there were inaccurate readings of the sensors triggered the plane's MCAS that pushed the nose of the aircraft as low as it can get as the pilots struggled to control it.

As of today, The 737 Max, which is Boeing's best-selling plane, remains grounded.

Ethiopia's FANA news agency had said that "The report supports the initial findings by Ethiopian officials last April that Boeing's MCAS made it impossible for the crew to regain control of the aircraft. We have not made a decision on 737 MAX 8 planes, and that decision is not easy for us right now. At this moment, we're waiting for the final decisions on the airplanes, and we have to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that this airplane is good to fly again."

A 62-year-od local farmer, Abera Lenjiso, remembers the accident as clear as day since the crash happened in this village, saying that he recalls going out of his house and saw a huge explosion and smoke. They ran to the crash site with many other people crying and called their local administrators. He also said that their village was not that known before the plane crash, but after days of the crash, mourners came to them, and they shared food and their grief.

Read Also: Parachutes Do Not Save People Who Fall Out Of Airplanes: Study

ⓒ 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion