Ethiopian Airlines black boxes showed ‘clear similarities’ with Lion Air crash

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Analysis of the data from the black boxes of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed killing all 157 people on board showed ‘clear similarities’ with October’s Lion Air crash, a spokesman for the Ethiopian Transport Ministry said.

Both planes were Boeing 737 MAX 8s, and both crashed minutes after take off after pilots reported flight control problems. Concern over the plane’s safety caused aviation authorities worldwide to ground the model, wiping billions of dollars off Boeing’s market value.

Wreckage is piled at the crash scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight crash near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, March 11, 2019. A spokesman says Ethiopian Airlines has grounded all its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft as a safety precaution, following the crash of one of its planes in which 157 people are known to have died. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

“It was the same case with the Indonesian (Lion Air) one. There were clear similarities between the two crashes so far,” spokesman Muse Yiheyis told Reuters.

“The data was successfully recovered. Both the American team and our (Ethiopian) team validated it. The minister thanked the French government. We will let you know more after three or four days.”

A preliminary report on the crash is to be released within 30 days, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing the transport minister.