Ethiopian crew followed procedure: Report

ADDIS ABABA- Agence France-Presse

The crew of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed last month killing 157 people, repeatedly followed procedures recommended by Boeing, but were unable to regain control of the jet, according to the investigators' report released on April 4.

The initial report, unveiled by Ethiopian Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges, cast further doubt on the system controlling the Boeing 737 MAX 8 model, which has been grounded worldwide for almost a month.

"The crew performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by the manufacturer, but was not able to control the aircraft," said Dagmawit Moges, unveiling results of the preliminary probe into the crash.

The report recommends "the aircraft flight control system shall be reviewed by the manufacturer," she said.

"Aviation authorities shall verify that the review of the aircraft flight control system has been adequately addressed by the manufacturer before the release of the aircraft for operations," she added.

The release of the report came after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a review of the certification of the automated flight control system on the 737 MAX. Boeing is reviewing the report.

The Ethiopian Airlines flight was headed to Nairobi on a clear morning on March 10 when it plummeted nose-first into a field outside Addis Ababa just minutes after take-off, having reportedly experienced erratic steep climbs and descents.

Citizens from over 30 countries were on board.

Similarities quickly emerged between the crash and that of an Indonesian Lion Air 737 MAX 8 flight in October last year which killed 189 people.