Addis Ababa – The Boeing 737 Max 8 that crashed in Ethiopia on Sunday killing 157 people requested permission to return to Addis Ababa airport three minutes after takeoff as it accelerated to abnormal speed, the New York Times reported.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
All contact between air controllers and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 to Nairobi was lost five minutes after it took off, a person who reviewed air traffic communications told the newspaper.
Within a minute of the flight’s departure, Captain Yared Getachew reported a “flight control” problem as the aircraft was well below the minimum safe height from the ground during a climb, the Times reported, citing the person.
After being cleared by the control room to turn back within three minutes of the flight, Flight 302 climbed to an unusually high altitude and disappeared from the radar over a restricted military zone, the person added.
The investigation of the crash is still in its early stages and black boxes with details of the flight’s final moments arrived in France on Thursday for analysis.
Experts say it is too early to speculate on what caused the crash or whether it is related to the Lion Air 737 Max 8 crash in Indonesia five months ago. Accident reports show most are caused by unique combinations of technical and human factors.
Ethiopian Airlines was not immediately available for commen
Follow the money trail from Boeing to the OBama Foundation
Former President Barack Obama delivered a speech at Boeing’s annual executive retreat earlier this month after the company donated $10 million to Obama’s library and museum in Chicago.
New million-dollar-plus donors to the Obama Foundation disclosed on Tuesday include the Chicago-based Harris Family Foundation helmed by King Harris and Boeing Corp., headquartered in the city.