On Thursday, April 4, 2019 Ethiopia’s Ministry of Transportation released their preliminary report regarding the crash of flight ET302. Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed shortly after taking off last March, near the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. Benny Agosto, Jr. currently represents the families of three passengers that perished in the crash.
Initial findings from the crashed plane’s flight-data recorder indicate a faulty reading on the angle of attack sensor. A faulty reading from the angle of attack sensor or AOA may activate the 737 Max’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). The MCAS system is designed to automatically push the nose of the aircraft downwards, preventing the aircraft from stalling. The MCAS system can activate only during manual flight. Preliminary reports regarding the flight data recorder indicate the aircraft was in manual flight just before the crash.
Many experts believe the pilots were essentially fighting a losing battle against the MCAS system. Boeing is currently offering new software updates in order to prevent the reoccurrence of this situation. The new software package would make the responses of the MCAS system less aggressive. Additionally, Boeing has announced they are in the process of finalizing a new pilot training package for its customers.
The most recent crash marked the second Boeing 737 Max crash since October. The second crashed temporarily caused the grounding of all 737 Max aircraft internationally. Boeing has admitted some fault in relation to the recent crashes. Boeing’s CEO Dennis Muilenburg announced recently “We now know that the recent Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 accidents were caused by a chain of events, with a common chain link being erroneous activation of the aircraft’s MCAS function. We have the responsibility to eliminate this risk, and we know how to do it.”
Benny Agosto, Jr. is a partner at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner in Houston, Texas. For over 68 years, Abraham Watkins has successfully represented injured people and families who fall victim to catastrophes. Mr. Agosto has represented the victims and family members of numerous aviation related incidents. Our attorneys have the knowledge, experience and resources necessary to obtain just compensation their clients. If your life has been impacted by an aviation related incident, please contact the office of Benny Agosto, Jr. at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner, by letter at 800 Commerce Street, Houston, Texas 77002, or by phone at (713) 222-7211.