On Sunday, Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, on its way to the Kenyan capital Nairobi from Addis Ababa, crashed six minutes after take-off. It ploughed into a field near Tulu Fara village outside the town of Bishoftu, some 60 km southeast of the Ethiopian capital, killing all 157 on board.
History of Boeing 737
Boeing Company’s 737 was first flown in 1967 and the fourth generation of 737s made its debut on 2017 and it was known as the 737 Max, in the last five months the 737 Max has seen two fatal crashes. The first crash happened in October when Lion Air flight 610 crashed off the coast of Indonesia that killed nearly 190, and the second crash happened recently when Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed outside Addis Ababa taking life of more than 150 people.
Twin tragedies
Lion Air flight 610 crash: Lion Air flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea 12 minutes after takeoff. All 189 passengers and crew were killed in the accident. It became the second deadliest airplane accident in Indonesia, only behind Garuda Indonesia Flight 152. A preliminary investigation revealed that passengers and crew on the aircraft’s previous flight noticed many problems, they also noticed signs of instrument failure on previous flights. Some say it was reason the flight’s systems malfunctioned midair.
Ethiopian Airlines flight 302: An Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Ethiopia’s capital on Sunday morning, killing all 157 on board, including four Indians, authorities said, as grieving families rushed to airports in Addis Ababa and the destination, Nairobi.
More than 30 nationalities are among the dead. It is not clear what caused the crash of the Boeing 737-8 MAX plane, which was new and had been delivered to the airline in November. The pilot sent out a distress call and was given clearance to return, the airline’s CEO told reporters.
Which airlines have purchased the 737 Max?
According to reports, Boeing co. reported that they have delivered 350 of the single-aisle jets to 46 airlines. In total, orders from more than 80 operators exceed 5,000 planes. Some of the buyers of the Boeing 737 Max are Southwest Airlines (31 in the fleet), American Airlines (22) and Air Canada (20). Norwegian Air, FlyDubai and several Chinese carriers also operate them.
For Indian pilots, 1,000 hours of flying experience is enough
Indian aviation regulator DGCA on Monday issued additional safety instructions to SpiceJet and Jet Airways for operating Boeing 737 MAX planes. The pilot commanding the aircraft should have at least 1,000 hours of flying experience, according to the DGCA directions. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said interim safety measures are being taken with inputs available at this stage.
“The DGCA will continue to closely monitor the situation and may impose/ take any other operational/ maintenance measures/ restrictions based on the information received from accident investigation agency/ FAA/ Boeing,” the regulator said in a statement.
Reactions of other countries post-crash
China: China grounded all Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets on Monday, “Given in both air crashes, the aircraft were newly delivered Boeing 737 MAX 8, and both accidents occur during the take-off, they share certain similarities,” the Chinese government noted on Monday, according to CNN.
Singapore: Singapore’s aviation regulator banned the use of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the country’s airspace following a deadly Ethiopia plane crash at the weekend. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement it was “temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months.”
Australia: Australia barred Boeing 737 MAX planes from its airspace, “This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX to and from Australia,” Shane Carmody, CEO of Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority, said in a statement.
Argentina: Aerolineas Argentinas said late Monday that they have ordered the suspension of Boeing 737 Max, “For Aerolineas Argentinas, safety is the most important value,” the company said in a statement on the grounding of its five 737 Max 8 planes, out of a total fleet of 82.