Black boxes show 'many similarities' between Ethiopian and Indonesian plane crashes

Ethiopian Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges said on March 17 that according to data downloaded from the black box, the Ethiopian Airlines crash had "clear similarities" with the crash of a Lion Air plane in Indonesia less than five months ago, according toAFP.

Moges declined to provide details but told reporters the similarities would be "the subject of further investigation during the course of the investigation" and a preliminary report would be released "within 30 days".

The announcement came a week after Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed into a field southeast of the capital Addis Ababa six minutes after taking off en route to Nairobi, Kenya, killing all 157 people on board.

The disaster caused the Boeing 737 MAX 8 to be grounded worldwide after aviation regulators noticed similarities with the crash also involving a Lion Air 737 MAX 8, Indonesia in October 2018, which killed all 189 passengers and crew.

Both planes reportedly experienced erratic pitches and pitches, erratic speed changes, and crashed within minutes of takeoff.

Questions have focused on the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) installed on the Boeing 737 MAX 8. MCAS is designed to automatically point the nose of the plane down if it is at risk of stalling.

The initial investigation into the Lion Air crash found that a faulty sensor provided incorrect angle-of-attack data, causing the MCAS system to automatically activate and send a signal to the plane’s tailplane to push the nose down to regain stability. Investigators said the pilot tried to override the autopilot and intervene to raise the nose of the plane, but MCAS automatically intervened, causing the plane to plunge into the sea at high speed.

The black boxes from the Ethiopian Airlines plane have been sent to the French aviation safety agency BEA, which is working with US and Ethiopian investigators to determine what happened to the plane.

While the cause remains unknown, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said on March 17 that the manufacturer was finalizing an MCAS software update and "reviewing pilot training."

Experts have questioned the US aviation safety certification process after learning that US pilots had made serious complaints about MCAS. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later said it followed “standard” procedures in certifying the 737 MAX.