In Ethiopian Airlines Crash, the voice of the crew could offer vital clues

The investigation into the last minutes of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 revealed the secrets of the badpit voice recorder while Boeing and a shaken world aviation industry were hanging on the result.

The voices of Captain Yared Getachew and First Officer Ahmednur Mohammed could reveal what led to the crash of the Boeing 737 MAX on March 10th, which presents disturbing parallels with another disaster involving the same model off the coast. Indonesia in October.

Both disasters killed 346 people.

The black box data was downloaded to France but only Ethiopian experts leading the investigation heard the dialogue between Getachew, 29, and Mohammed, 25. Data was back in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, sources close to the survey told Reuters.

Experts believe that a new automated system Boeing's flagship fleet, the MAX system, intended to stop stalling by diving nose of the aircraft, could have played a role in both accidents, the pilots unable to neutralize it when their planes are plunged down.

Both fell a few minutes after takeoff after irregular flights and loss of control reported by the pilots. However, every accident is a unique chain of human and technical factors, experts say.

The survey focuses on the prestige of Ethiopian Airlines, one of Africa's most successful companies, and Boeing, the world's leading manufacturer of plans and US exporter.

Delicate questions for the industry

Legislators and security experts question the level of control of the MAX model by regulators and the level of pilot training for new features. For now, regulators have grounded the existing fleet of more than 300 MAX devices and deliveries of nearly 5,000 others – worth well over $ 500 billion – are on hold .

The pressure on the Chicago-based company has increased with the news that federal prosecutors and the US Department of Transportation are very carefully reviewing the development of the MAX model, two informed people said.

The US Department of Justice was reviewing Boeing's surveillance by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said one of the people. And a federal grand jury last week issued at least one subpoena to an entity involved in the development of the aircraft.

In the hope of getting its MAX line up and running again, Boeing has announced that it will launch a software update and review the pilot training. In the case of the Lion Air crash in Indonesia, it was asked if the crew was using the appropriate procedures.

"Life depends on the work we do," said Boeing director Dennis Muilenburg, facing the biggest crisis of his term.

The MAX, which offers fuel savings of about 15%, was developed for service in 2017 after the successful launch of its main rival, the Airbus A320neo.

After Ethiopia, France and the United States all made parallels with the crash of Indonesia, a person familiar with the probe said the black box data indicated that "l & # 39; 39 "angle of attack" of the Ethiopian Airlines jet was "very similar" to that of Lion Air.

The angle of attack is a fundamental parameter of the flight, it measures the degrees between the airflow and the wing. If it is too high, the plane can end up in an aerodynamic stall.

Global ramifications

Pending its MAX certification without requiring additional training and its proximity to Boeing, the FAA said it was "absolutely" confident in its audit.

However, in light of the US investigation, Canada has stated that it will reconsider its acceptance of FAA validation and proceed with its own independent certification.

The crisis has tipped the world of airlines.

One company, Norwegian Airlines, has already announced that it will seek compensation after stopping its MAX plane.

Several companies are reconsidering Boeing's orders and some airlines are revising their profit forecasts as they can no longer count on the maintenance and fuel savings that the MAX is taking into account.

Beyond the ramifications of the business, anxious parents are still waiting to find out what has happened.

Many went to the scene of the accident in a charred field to try to find a solution, but the slowness of the information arouses anger and all that they were given for funerals, and 39, is from the earth.

Abdulmajid Shariff, a Yemeni who lost his brother-in-law, was returning home on Tuesday. "I am so terribly sad, I had to leave here without the body of my deceased brother, but I have to praise Almighty God, there is nothing left to do."

(With the exception of the title, this story was not changed by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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