Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409

A Boeing 737 of Ethiopian Airlines, similar to the crashed plane

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 was a scheduled flight from Beirut, Lebanon, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. On 25 January 2010 from 2:40 clock local time, the aircraft crashed shortly after take-off from the Rafiq al- Hariri airport into the Mediterranean.

Aircraft

The aircraft with the air vehicle registration ET -ANB was a Boeing 737-800, with serial number 29935th you was delivered on 2 April 2002 at Ryanair and was there with the registration EI- CSW until April 2009 at the use. Since 8 December 2009, the aircraft was flown by Ethiopian Airlines under its current aircraft registration. On January 22, Boeing had confirmed in a press release that Ethiopian has ordered 10 new aircraft of the same type, while the CEO Ato Girma Wake cited with praise for the reliability of the B 737.

Aircraft Accident

The plane of Ethiopian Airlines crashed shortly after taking off from Beirut's Rafik Hariri airport into the Mediterranean. The METAR created by 2 clock local time warned of thunderstorms in the vicinity of the airport, the wind speed was 8 knots ( 15 km / h). The aircraft lifted against 02:35 clock from local and disappeared four to five minutes later from radar screens. Eyewitnesses reported that the plane was burning, as it crashed into the sea. The flight should have arrived according to schedule at 07:50 local time clock ( 04:50 UTC) in Addis Ababa.

After Lebanese official information, the crash site is located about 3.5 km off the coast near the village Na'ameh. The Lebanese army, the Lebanese Navy and ships of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL ), including the German Mosel tender took part in the search for survivors and the rescue of the victims.

The accident was the first crash at Beirut airport since 1987 and the first crash of the airline concerned since the abduction of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 in 1996.

Passengers and crew

On board the aircraft were 82 passengers and eight Ethiopian crew members. 51 of the passengers were Lebanese, 23 Ethiopians, two people from the United Kingdom and 1 person each from Canada, France, Iraq, Russia, Syria and Turkey. In the passenger from France it was the wife of the French ambassador in Beirut, Marla Sanchez Pietton.

Investigation

The flight data recorder was located on 28 January 2010 by the American warship USS Ramage in 1.3 kilometers deep and sheltered by the Lebanese Army in February.

In the final report of the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority called as a probable cause of the crash pilot error.