Ethiopia releases preliminary report into Boeing 737 MAX crash

Addis Ababa: Ethiopia on Thursday released the preliminary report into the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash which claimed the lives of all 157 people on board.

Ethiopian Minister Dagmawit Moges said that the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was in good condition before take-off. Speculations regarding the flight being hit with a foreign object were also ruled out by the officials, according to CNN.

"The crew performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by the manufacturer but was not able to control the aircraft," Moges stated.

The March 10 incident became the second instance that the Boeing 737 MAX jet was involved in a crash within a span of five months. This triggered safety concerns, leading to several countries and airlines grounding the aircraft around the world.

"We are very proud of our pilots' compliances to follow the emergency procedures and high level of professional performances in such extremely difficult situations," Ethiopian Airlines CEO said in a statement on April 4, following the report's release.

"As the investigation continues with more detailed analysis, as usual, we will continue with our full cooperation with the investigation team," the airlines noted.

Based on the preliminary information gathered during investigations, the report makes two recommendations which include a review by Boeing on flight controllability.

"Aviation authorities shall verify that the review of the aircraft control system related to flight controllability has been adequately addressed by the manufacturer before the release of the aircraft to operations," the report says.

On March 10, 157 people on board an Ethiopian Airlines flight - a Boeing 737 MAX jet - lost their lives after their flight crashed just a few minutes after take-off from Adis Ababa. Similarly, in October last year, a Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air flight crashed in Indonesia, claiming the lives of all 181 people on board. Investigations are ongoing into both the incidents.

Boeing on Wednesday claimed to have successfully tested its new software update for the 737 MAX 7 jet. The aircraft manufacturer's CEO Dennis Muilenburg was on board the demo flight, which was upgraded with the new Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) software update.

According to the manufacturing giant, the new update to the system lets the pilot have the ability to override MCAS and manually control the aircraft, ensuring that the pilot always has the upper hand. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is yet to comment on this.