FAA Finds Similarities in Ethiopia, Indonesia Boeing 737 MAX Crashes - Statement

According to the FAA's Emergency Order, the new data "from satellite-based tracking of the aircraft's flight path" from Sunday's wreckage "indicates some similarities" between the Ethiopian and Indonesian incidents. The FAA stressed in the statement that these findings "warrant further investigation of the possibility of a shared cause for the two incidents that needs to be better understood and addressed".

Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump said that Washington would issue an emergency order to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 737 Max 9 series planes following the Ethiopian crash.

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"We're going to be issuing an emergency order of prohibition to ground all flights of the 737 Max 8 and the 737 Max 9 and planes associated with that line", Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump said his emergency order would go into effect immediately and all planes in the air would be grounded upon landing at their destinations. Trump stressed he made the decision to ground the Max 8 and Max 9 planes after obtaining "new information" related to the latest crash, adding that the safety of the American people was a "paramount concern".

Trump said he spoke with FAA Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell, US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg about the decision, saying all were in agreement with the action.

On Sunday, a Boeing 737 Max 8, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people from more than 30 countries on board.

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The crash in Ethiopia was the second fatal incident involving the narrow-body aircraft in less than five months. In late October 2018, another Boeing 737 MAX 8, operated by Indonesia's Lion Air, plunged into the Java Sea shortly after take-off, claiming the lives of 189 people. According to the preliminary investigation, the plane's sensors were showing incorrect speed and altitude readings.

In the wake of Sunday's crash in Ethiopia, aviation authorities and carriers around the world, including in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the European Union, France, Germany, South Africa, China and Russia either grounded all 737 Max 8 series aircraft or closed their airspace to them.

Prior to Trump's announcement, several US lawmakers, including Senators Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Diane Feinstein, Ted Cruz, Mitt Romney and Dick Durbin, called for the planes to be grounded in the United States.