Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409
Encyclopedia
Ethiopian Airlines
Flight 409 was an international scheduled Beirut
–Addis Ababa
passenger service that plunged into the Mediterranean Sea
shortly after take-off from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
on , killing all 90 people on board.
, registered
ET-ANB, s/n
29935. The aircraft was originally delivered to Ryanair
on 4 February 2002 as EI-CSW. In September 2009 it was leased to Ethiopian Airlines. It last underwent maintenance checks on 25 December 2009 without any technical problems found.
shortly after take-off from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
in stormy weather, with 82 passengers and eight crew members on board. The METAR
data indicated wind speed
s of 8 knots (4 m/s) out of varying directions and thunderstorms in the vicinity of the airport. The aircraft climbed to 9000 feet (2,743.2 m) before radar contact was lost about four to five minutes into the flight, while witnesses near the coast reported seeing the aircraft on fire as it crashed into the sea. The flight was scheduled to arrive at Addis Ababa
at 07:50 local time (04:50 UTC).
This was the first crash for Ethiopian Airlines since the hijacking of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961
in 1996.
. The search for survivors was carried out by the Lebanese Army, using Sikorsky S-61
helicopters, the Lebanese Navy
and UNIFIL
troops. The U.S. military, in response to a request from the Lebanese government, sent the guided missile destroyer USS Ramage
, a Navy P-3 aircraft, and the salvage ship USNS Grapple. The French Navy sent a Breguet Atlantic reconnaissance aircraft. UNIFIL sent three ships (among them the German minesweeper tender Mosel and the Turkish B class corvette
Bozcaada) and two helicopters to the scene. Further helicopters to assist search and possibly rescue measures were sent by the Royal Air Force
, and the Cyprus Police aviation unit.
The wife of the French ambassador in Beirut, Marla Sanchez Pietton, was among the passengers.
The recovered bodies were sent to the Rafik Hariri University Hospital
in Beirut for DNA extraction and identification. On 5 February 2010, it was reported that the American
vessel was due to arrive during the next week to assist in the search for the aircraft Cockpit Voice Recorder
and Flight Data Recorder
. The Lebanese Army reported on 6 February that several large sections of the aircraft, believed to include the tail have been found in 45 metres (147.6 ft) of water at a location 1.1 nautical miles (2 km) off the coast of Na'ameh.
On 7 February 2010 the Lebanese army divers were able to recover the plane's flight data recorder
; which was sent to the Beirut Naval Base to be handed over to the plane crash investigation team. All the deceased had been recovered from the sea and identified by 23 February 2010.
opened an investigation into the accident, which will see co-operation from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB), the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile
(BEA) and Boeing
. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman
stated that terrorism had been ruled out as a cause. Lebanese Information Minister Tarek Mitri
contradicted accusations that the aircraft should not have taken off in such stormy weather, claiming that all operations at the airport had been carried out normally. Lebanese transportation and public works minister Ghazi Aridi and Lebanese defense minister Elias el-Murr
reported that the pilot had failed to follow instructions from the control tower to correct his path and avoid the storm. Ethiopian Airlines sent a 14-member team of investigators to the scene of the crash; the United States also sent experts from the National Transportation Safety Board to help probe into the accident. The NTSB team is assisted by three technical advisors from the Federal Aviation Administration
and Boeing. The flight data recorder
and cockpit voice recorder
were located on 4 February, reportedly at a sea depth of 100 metres (328.1 ft) and approximately 3 kilometres (1.6 nmi) from the shore of al-Na'ameh and will be sent to the BEA to undergo data analysis. Four divers from the French Navy's Undersea intervention diving group have been sent to the crash location. The Cockpit Voice Recorder was recovered missing a memory storage unit. This was reported on 16 February as having been recovered and forwarded to the BEA.
Some aviation experts say that bad weather alone could not have brought down the plane and believe that a technical fault may have caused an engine to catch fire. Allegedly the preliminary report into the accident blames human error.
According to unconfirmed reports, British intelligence agents allegedly reopened an investigation into the crash in March after reports that a terrorist suspect arrested in Saudi Arabia
said Flight 409 had been destroyed by a bomb. The suspect allegedly said the device was similar to the one nearly used by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
on Northwest Airlines Flight 253
. Ethiopian Airlines said it was "interested" in the report.
premises in Addis Ababa
on 14 February 2010. On the day of the crash, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri
declared the day as a day of mourning
, and closed all schools, offices and banks. The flight designator has been changed to 407 since the accident.
Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines , formerly Ethiopian Air Lines, often referred to as simply Ethiopian, is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It serves as the country's flag carrier, and is wholly owned by the Government of Ethiopia...
Flight 409 was an international scheduled Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
–Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
passenger service that plunged into the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
shortly after take-off from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport is located 9 km from the city centre in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon and is the only operational commercial airport in the country. It is the hub for Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines...
on , killing all 90 people on board.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-8ASBoeing 737 Next Generation
The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...
, registered
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
ET-ANB, s/n
Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
29935. The aircraft was originally delivered to Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
on 4 February 2002 as EI-CSW. In September 2009 it was leased to Ethiopian Airlines. It last underwent maintenance checks on 25 December 2009 without any technical problems found.
Accident
The Boeing 737 crashed into the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
shortly after take-off from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport is located 9 km from the city centre in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon and is the only operational commercial airport in the country. It is the hub for Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines...
in stormy weather, with 82 passengers and eight crew members on board. The METAR
METAR
METAR is a format for reporting weather information. A METAR weather report is predominantly used by pilots in fulfillment of a part of a pre-flight weather briefing, and by meteorologists, who use aggregated METAR information to assist in weather forecasting....
data indicated wind speed
Wind speed
Wind speed, or wind velocity, is a fundamental atmospheric rate.Wind speed affects weather forecasting, aircraft and maritime operations, construction projects, growth and metabolism rate of many plant species, and countless other implications....
s of 8 knots (4 m/s) out of varying directions and thunderstorms in the vicinity of the airport. The aircraft climbed to 9000 feet (2,743.2 m) before radar contact was lost about four to five minutes into the flight, while witnesses near the coast reported seeing the aircraft on fire as it crashed into the sea. The flight was scheduled to arrive at Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
at 07:50 local time (04:50 UTC).
This was the first crash for Ethiopian Airlines since the hijacking of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, a Boeing 767-260ER, was hijacked on , en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on a Bombay–Addis Ababa–Nairobi–Brazzaville–Lagos–Abidjan service, by three Ethiopians seeking political asylum in Australia. The plane crash-landed in the Indian Ocean near Comoros due to fuel...
in 1996.
Search and recovery
On the morning following the crash, Lebanese authorities reported having located the crash site 3.5 kilometres (1.9 nmi) off the coast from the village of Na'amehNa'ameh
Municipality of Na'ameh is a municipality in Lebanon.Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashed off of the coast of Na'ameh on 25 January 2010....
. The search for survivors was carried out by the Lebanese Army, using Sikorsky S-61
Sikorsky S-61
The Sikorsky S-61L and S-61N are civil variants of the successful SH-3 Sea King helicopter. They are two of the most widely used airliner and oil rig support helicopters built.-Design and development:...
helicopters, the Lebanese Navy
Lebanese navy
The Lebanese Navy is the Navy of the Lebanese Armed Forces. It was formed in 1950 and based in Beirut Naval Base, Lebanon’s first naval base. The navy, which currently lacks the proper number of equipment, has a number of approximately 50 vessels of various sizes and roles; however, the navy is...
and UNIFIL
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was created by the United Nations, with the adoption of Security Council Resolution 425 and 426 on 19 March 1978, to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon which Israel had invaded five days prior, restore international peace and security,...
troops. The U.S. military, in response to a request from the Lebanese government, sent the guided missile destroyer USS Ramage
USS Ramage (DDG-61)
USS Ramage is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy. The ship is named for Vice Admiral Lawson P...
, a Navy P-3 aircraft, and the salvage ship USNS Grapple. The French Navy sent a Breguet Atlantic reconnaissance aircraft. UNIFIL sent three ships (among them the German minesweeper tender Mosel and the Turkish B class corvette
B class corvette
B class corvette is a warship class of the Turkish Navy, all ex-D'Estienne d'Orves class A69 type Aviso corvettes, mainly designed for coastal anti-submarine defense and ocean escort missions...
Bozcaada) and two helicopters to the scene. Further helicopters to assist search and possibly rescue measures were sent by the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, and the Cyprus Police aviation unit.
The wife of the French ambassador in Beirut, Marla Sanchez Pietton, was among the passengers.
The recovered bodies were sent to the Rafik Hariri University Hospital
Rafik Hariri University Hospital
The Rafik Hariri University Hospital – formerly known as Beirut Governmental University Hospital – is the largest Lebanese public hospital, located on the outskirts of southern Beirut...
in Beirut for DNA extraction and identification. On 5 February 2010, it was reported that the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vessel was due to arrive during the next week to assist in the search for the aircraft Cockpit Voice Recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
and Flight Data Recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
. The Lebanese Army reported on 6 February that several large sections of the aircraft, believed to include the tail have been found in 45 metres (147.6 ft) of water at a location 1.1 nautical miles (2 km) off the coast of Na'ameh.
On 7 February 2010 the Lebanese army divers were able to recover the plane's flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
; which was sent to the Beirut Naval Base to be handed over to the plane crash investigation team. All the deceased had been recovered from the sea and identified by 23 February 2010.
Investigation
The Lebanese Civil Aviation AuthorityLebanese Civil Aviation Authority
The Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority is the civil aviation authority of Lebanon....
opened an investigation into the accident, which will see co-operation from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
(NTSB), the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile
Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'Aviation Civile
The Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile is an agency of the French government, responsible for investigating aviation accidents and making safety recommendations based on what is learned from those investigations. It is headquartered in Building 153 on the grounds...
(BEA) and Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman
Michel Suleiman
Michel Suleiman or Sleiman is the President of Lebanon. Before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces. After LAF commander Émile Lahoud took office as president in November of 1998, Suleiman succeeded him, taking his place in December...
stated that terrorism had been ruled out as a cause. Lebanese Information Minister Tarek Mitri
Lebanese government of July 2008
This is the list of the Lebanese government that was formed by Mr Fouad Siniora on July 11, 2008...
contradicted accusations that the aircraft should not have taken off in such stormy weather, claiming that all operations at the airport had been carried out normally. Lebanese transportation and public works minister Ghazi Aridi and Lebanese defense minister Elias el-Murr
Elias Murr
Elias Murr is the former Lebanese Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. He held the positions of Deputy Prime minister and Interior Minister in previous Cabinets....
reported that the pilot had failed to follow instructions from the control tower to correct his path and avoid the storm. Ethiopian Airlines sent a 14-member team of investigators to the scene of the crash; the United States also sent experts from the National Transportation Safety Board to help probe into the accident. The NTSB team is assisted by three technical advisors from the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
and Boeing. The flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
and cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
were located on 4 February, reportedly at a sea depth of 100 metres (328.1 ft) and approximately 3 kilometres (1.6 nmi) from the shore of al-Na'ameh and will be sent to the BEA to undergo data analysis. Four divers from the French Navy's Undersea intervention diving group have been sent to the crash location. The Cockpit Voice Recorder was recovered missing a memory storage unit. This was reported on 16 February as having been recovered and forwarded to the BEA.
Some aviation experts say that bad weather alone could not have brought down the plane and believe that a technical fault may have caused an engine to catch fire. Allegedly the preliminary report into the accident blames human error.
According to unconfirmed reports, British intelligence agents allegedly reopened an investigation into the crash in March after reports that a terrorist suspect arrested in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
said Flight 409 had been destroyed by a bomb. The suspect allegedly said the device was similar to the one nearly used by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber", is a suspected terrorist who attempted to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on December 25,...
on Northwest Airlines Flight 253
Northwest Airlines Flight 253
Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was an international passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands, to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, United States...
. Ethiopian Airlines said it was "interested" in the report.
Passengers and crew
Ethiopian Airlines issued the following list of the nationalities of the victims:| Country | Passengers | Crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | |||
| 51 | |||
| 23 | 8 | 31 | |
| 2 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | |||
| Total |
82 | 8 | 90 |
Aftermath
A memorial ceremony was held in the Ethiopian AirlinesEthiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines , formerly Ethiopian Air Lines, often referred to as simply Ethiopian, is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It serves as the country's flag carrier, and is wholly owned by the Government of Ethiopia...
premises in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
on 14 February 2010. On the day of the crash, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri
Saad Hariri
Saad-eddine Rafiq Al-Hariri is a Saudi-Lebanese billionaire who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 2009 until 2011. He is the second son of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister who was assassinated in 2005...
declared the day as a day of mourning
Day of Mourning
The Day of Mourning was a day of protest held by Aboriginal Australians on 26 January 1938, the sesquicentenary of British colonisation of Australia...
, and closed all schools, offices and banks. The flight designator has been changed to 407 since the accident.
External links
- ET409/25JAN Press Releases Archive – Ethiopian AirlinesEthiopian AirlinesEthiopian Airlines , formerly Ethiopian Air Lines, often referred to as simply Ethiopian, is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It serves as the country's flag carrier, and is wholly owned by the Government of Ethiopia...
- Ministry of Public Works and Transport
- Progress Report - 25 January 2010 (Archive)
- Progress Report - 31 July 2010
- Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 on 25 January 2010 B 737-800, registered ET-ANB - Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation CivileBureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'Aviation CivileThe Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile is an agency of the French government, responsible for investigating aviation accidents and making safety recommendations based on what is learned from those investigations. It is headquartered in Building 153 on the grounds...
- Boeing Statement on Ethiopian Airlines Accident in Lebanon – BoeingBoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
- BBC Photos
- Names of Ethiopian Passengers Released from Plane Crash- ECTV Endale G
- Names of Lebanese Passengers Released from Plane Crash - NaharnetAn-NaharAn-Nahar , is the leading Arabic-language daily newspaper in Lebanon.It was first published on August 4, 1933 as a four-page, hand-set paper. The paper provided a platform for various free thinkers to express their views during the years of the Syria occupation of Lebanon. The paper can be best...