Pilot of the ill-fated Ethiopian Airlines Boeng 737 plane to Nairobi made frantic calls as the plane began to nose-dive

Ethiopian Airlines pilot's frantic radio call minutes before fatal plane crash that killed 157

Charles Ouma

March 31, 2019 12:32 PM

Pilot of the ill-fated flight made frantic calls as the plane began to nose-dive

Just like the proverbial phoenix bird, Ethiopian Airlines will rise again after Sunday’s Flight 302 crash that killed all 157 people on board

Investigations have revealed what transpired in the final moments of an Ethiopian Airlines flight which crashed three weeks ago with the pilot making a last minute frantic radio call as the plane began nosediving downwards.

Reports indicate that shortly after take-off at about 137M above the ground, the plane’s nose began to pitch down.

Wall Street Journal reports that one pilot in the cockpit frantically urged is colleague "pitch up, pitch up!" as the plane began to shuttle downwards.

The radio died shortly afterwards with the plane crashing just six minutes after take-off.

An anti-stalling system is reported to have activated in the Boeing 737 Max plane, resulting in the crash which claimed 157 lives.

WSJ quoting people familiar with the investigations that have seen Boeing 737 Max planes grounded in several countries reports that the crash" paints a picture of a catastrophic failure that quickly overwhelmed the flight crew".

Remnants of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 which crashed shortly after take-off on Sunday. Pulse Live Kenya

Circumstances surrounding the fatal crash bear close and significant resemblance to that of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia last October.

Just like in the case of the Ethiopian Airlines fligt, the Lion Air plane crashed shortly after take off, claiming 189 lives and raising serious concerns about the Boeing 737 Max series’ safety features.

It was yet another blow to the aviation giant, which just this week unveiled a fix to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).

The MCAS, which lowers the aircraft's nose if it detects a stall or loss of airspeed, was developed specifically for the 737 MAX, which has heavier engines than its predecessor, creating aerodynamic issues.

The initial investigation into the October Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed all 189 people on board, found that an "angle of attack" (AOA) sensor failed but continued to transmit erroneous information to the MCAS.

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The pilot tried repeatedly to regain control and pull the nose up, but the plane crashed into the ocean.

The flight track of the doomed Ethiopia Airlines flight, which also crashed minutes after takeoff, "was very similar to Lion Air (indicating) there was very possibly a link between the two flights," FAA acting chief Daniel Elwell told Congress this week.

Charles Ouma