Aviation industry experts have rejected what they call an unwarranted conclusion and spin of facts made by the UK-based Flight International magazine after the publication, this week, printed a report about the ongoing investigation of Ethiopian Airlines ET-409 that crashed minutes after taking off from Beirut’s airport on January 2010.

While running reports about ET-409, including on the recently released progress report, the latest Flight International magazine issue published a commentary (without a byline) in which it claims similarities of causes of accidents between ET-409 and a Kenya Airways Boeing 737-800 that crashed in Cameroon three years ago.

“While a lot remained unanswered and even data included in the preliminary progress report was officially announced not to be complete, attempts made by the magazine to have its readers believe that it has discovered the cause of ET-409 crash and that is resembles the Kenya Airways crashed jet only shows poor judgment, immaturity and unprofessionalism on their part,” said one expert that wishes to remain anonymous.

For an official, who was close to the first ET-409 crash probe, the latest report could be based on a leak that came from Lebanese official authorities.

“If you see the pattern and focus of the reports over several months that all claim to contain “new insight” about the accident, all try to focus on the pilots, possibly to sway public opinion, without any regard what so ever for multiple eye witness accounts including from air traffic controllers at the Beirut airport that said the plane exploded in mid air,” the source said.

“These reports if they talk about these eyewitness accounts or withheld footage available from the airport’s CCTV, it would be counter to their efforts to sway public opinion, that is why the they all want to talk about the pilots though as detailed by the latest progress report (quoted by the magazine itself) the pilots had ample experience and were licensed to operate the jet.”

Another expert Capital approached downplays the significance of the latest report: “There is no mention of single evidence that even merely indicates that the pilots committed errors or brought down the plane.”

Capital early in January this year reported, quoting multiple sources, close to the ET-409 probe, Lebanese officials’ efforts included leaking information and concealing crucial evidence such as recovered bodies of the passengers and the aircraft’s wreckage could be likely to be an effort to cover up possible sabotage.
“The involved states were first briefed by the Lebanese civil aviation director general that 25 bodies were recovered shortly after the accident. The report was confirmed by the search and rescue command centre. But a day later when experts involved in the investigation sought to look at the bodies in hospital, eleven were missing,” one source said.

“I was wrong. It was only fourteen bodies that were discovered,” the Lebanese civil aviation official casually said in response when asked about the missing bodies.
According to experts, the recovered bodies upon examination could have exhibited burn marks or other injuries that could reveal if an explosion of any kind occurred, but other than the missing bodies those released all miss parts needed for such an investigation.

After repeated delays and even an announcement from the Lebanese government that there would be no publication before a final report, a preliminary investigation report about the ill-fated ET-409 was published last week.

Africa’s most profitable carrier Ethiopian in its operations since 1946 has never sustained a crash that was caused due to human or technical failure and flamed by the irregularities into the investigation, some concluded that there was an attempt to cover up sabotage on ET 409.

The final report about the accident is expected in July.

CapitalEthiopia