Black box data shows ‘clear similarities’ between Ethiopian airlines, Indonesian Lion Air crashes

Preliminary information from flight data recorder of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed a week ago and killed 157 people shows “clear similarities” with an earlier disaster involving same kind of Boeing aircraft in Indonesia, Ethiopia’s transport minister said on Sunday.

disclosure came as thousands marched in capital of dis Ababa, accompanying 17 empty caskets at a funeral for Ethiopian victims of Flight 302. caskets were empty because authorities have said that recovering and identifying remains will take months.

crash of Ethiopian Flight 302 on March 10 and that of a Lion Air plane in Indonesia in October — both of m Boeing 737 Max 8 jetliners — have prompted United States and or countries to ground aircraft.

flight recorders from Flight 302 that went down shortly after takeoff from dis Ababa for Nairobi were recovered “in a good condition that enabled us to extract almost all data inside,” Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges told reporters.

RE: Ethiopia To Send Plane's Black Box Abro, As Grief Grows

Information collected so far from flight data recorder has indicated “clear similarities” between both crashes, she said. Both flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were sent to Paris for analysis by French air accident investigation ncy BEA.

Moges did t elaborate on what similarities were.

U.S. Federal Aviation ministration alrey has said satellite-based tracking data showed that movements of Flight 302 were similar to those of Lion Air Flight 610, which crashed off Indonesia, killing 189 people.

Both planes flew with erratic altitude changes that could indicate pilots struggled to control aircraft. Shortly after ir takeoffs, both crews tried to return to airports but crashed.

Suspicions emerged that faulty sensors and software may have contributed to crashes. Moges said Ethiopian government intends to release detailed findings within a month.

RE: DGCA To Provide Indian Operators With ditional Safety Instructions, Following Ethiopian Airlines Crash That Killed 4 Indian Nationals And 153 Ors

At memorial service earlier in day, some of relatives who marched behind flag-draped coffins were overcome with grief and fainted.

service came one day after officials began delivering bags of scorched earth from crash site to family members of victims because of problems with identifying remains.

Family members said y were given a 1-kilogram (2.2-pound) sack of dirt from crash site. Many relatives alrey have gone to dusty field outside dis Ababa where plane went down to pay ir respects.

Mourner Elias Bilew said he h worked with one of victims, Sintayehu Shafi, for past eight years. “He was such a good person,” Bilew said. “He doesn’t deserve this. He was pillar for his whole family.”

RE: Four Indians Among 157 Killed In Ethiopian Airlines Flight Crash; PM Modi, MEA Sushma Swaraj Expresses Condolences