Highlights
- A preliminary report on the downed Ethiopian Airlines plane set to be released on April 4
- The report may answer questions of why and how the crash occurred and if it was software related as suspected
- Boeing has maintained that the software system was safe, but they updated the software last week
An Ethiopian Airlines jetliner, a brand-new Boeing 737 Max 8, crashed on March 10 - killing all 157 people on board - shortly after takeoff from the Ethiopian capital. This was the second crash of the same model of aircraft, in less than five months - an event that forced a worldwide grounding of the model.
The first - a Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people in October - led to Boeing issuing a bulletin reminding operators of emergency guidelines to override a specially developed anti-stall system on Max planes.
The investigation report of the crash is being released on Thursday from Addis Ababa. Here's our live coverage of the release.
12.48pm
Addis Abbaba: The aircraft had a certificate of air-worthiness and the crew had all necessary licenses and qualifications to operate the ill-fated aircraft,Ethiopia's minister of transport said.
"Since repetitive uncommanded aircraft nose down conditions are noticed ... it is recommend that the aircraft control system shall be reviewed by the manufacturer," she said.
She recommended that Boeing review the aircraft control system and aviation authorities confirm the problem had been solved before allowing that model of plane back into the air.
12.45pm
Ethiopian Airlines pilots followed proper procedures when their Boeing MAX 8 airplane repeatedly nosedived before a March 10 crash that killed 157 people, Ethiopia's minister of transport said on Thursday as she delivered the first official report on the disaster.
"The crew performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by the manufacturer but was not able to control the aircraft," Dagmawit Moges told a news conference in the capital, Addis Ababa.
Ethiopian transport minister says investigation of crash is not about assigning blame, it is about ensuring air safety.
Families of the victims, regulators and travellers around the world are waiting for clues to the accident after the new Boeing jet crashed six minutes after take-off.
The preliminary report into the Lion Air disaster said the pilots lost control after grappling with the plane's Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) software, a new automated anti-stall feature that repeatedly lowered the nose of the aircraft based on faulty data from a sensor.
12.30pm
The pilots of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max plane "performed all procedures repeatedly provided by the manufacturer but were unable to control the aircraft," the investigation officers said.
