In late 2018, Ethiopian Airlines’ chief pilot urgently reached out to Boeing regarding the safety of the 737 Max airliner, following the fatal crash of a Lion Air flight just a month earlier. The Lion Air incident raised alarms about potential issues with the plane’s flight control system, prompting the Ethiopian pilot to seek guidance on emergency procedures.
Despite similar inquiries from U.S. pilots receiving detailed briefings from Boeing, the manufacturer only referred the Ethiopian pilot to a public document issued after the Lion Air crash. Boeing cited its involvement in the Indonesian investigation as a reason for not providing further information.
Three months later, tragedy struck when an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board. Investigations revealed that the crash was caused by the same flawed flight control system that had been a concern for the Ethiopian pilot months earlier.
This sequence of events raises serious questions about Boeing’s communication and safety protocols in addressing critical concerns raised by international pilots regarding the 737 Max.
