ET409: Hariri to brief families of victims on crash report

Prime Minister Saad Hariri informed ministers that he would brief the families of the victims of the Ethiopian plane crash on the investigative committee’s preliminary report on the incident, Information Minister Tarek Mitri said following the Wednesday meeting of the cabinet.

Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi proposed for ministers relevant to the investigation to prepare a detailed proposal involving financial rewards to employees who took part in rescue operations of the ill-fated Ethiopian plane. (more…)

ET409: Ethiopian Airlines defends pilot, blames sabotage

A dispute raged between Ethiopian Airlines and Beirut over the reasons behind last month’s plane crash that killed all 90 people on board. The Boeing 737-800 bound for Addis Ababa crashed minutes after takeoff from Beirut airport in stormy weather on January 25.

“Reports that a pilot error was the cause of the disaster are just a guess,” said Ethiopian Airlines’ executive director.

“Investigations may take a while before the cause of the crash is determined,” he added.

He backed a statement made by Ethiopian Airlines earlier this month in which it did not rule out that “sabotage” may have caused the crash.

Middle East Airlines Chairman of the Board of Directors Mohammed Hout, meanwhile, said a “pilot error” was behind the crash.

“According to reliable information made available (about the disaster), an error by the pilot of the ill-fated Ethiopian plane was the reason that led to the fall and crash,” Hout said in remarks published Tuesday.

State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza is expected to receive a detailed account by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, Lebanese commando divers pursued efforts at retrieving the bodies of the passengers who were aboard the ill-fated Ethiopian airplane. The list of the 90 travelers who are presumed to be dead has shrunk to only three believed to be still missing. (Naharnet)

ET409: Last words of the pilot ‘we’re finished, God have mercy on us’

“We’re finished … God have mercy on us,” were the last words of the pilot of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET409 before crashing into the Mediterranean Sea on January 25, 2010.

ET409: Cabinet to release report on the crash next week

Lebanon’s Information Minister Tarek Mitri told reporters following Thursday’s cabinet session that the cabinet will issue next week its comprehensive report on the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines plane of flight ET409 .
Mitri also said the families of the crash victims would be briefed on the reports prior to its release.
“I believe that everyone is prioritizing the concerns and questions of the families of the victims,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Saad Hariri wants to meet with the families of the victims .
The Boeing 737 crashed minutes after takeoff from Beirut International airport on January 25th . All the 90 passengers and crew on board were killed. The 2 black boxes were found and sent to France for analysis

Body of French amabssador’s wife flown to Paris

The body of Mrs. Marla Sanchez Pietton, wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton who died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash of flight ET409 last January 25 was flown to Paris today on board an Air France jet

ET409 crash: Should the search for victims continue or stop?

Shiite Ulamas ( Muslim scholars) are likely to issue a Fatwa, or Islamic ruling, to end the search for the remaining victims of the Ethiopian plane flight ET409 that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea last Jan. 25th killing all 90 people on board.
The Ulamas, tend to believe that the “sea, in itself, is a legitimate graveyard,” and therefore, search operations can stop.
Ulamas’ viewpoint and expected fatwa are likely to gain support of political and Shiite authorities.
Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan, President of the Higher Shiite Council however, is not in favor of ending the search until all remains of victims are found
In a statement issued late Monday, Qabalan stressed” the need to recover all the bodies from the sea so that we can carry out our duty of burying the victims in the soil.”
Qabalan urged the Lebanese army and security forces to carry on efforts to pull all the remains of victims from the sea off the coast of Naameh south of Beirut.
The families of the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash victims are expected to meet with Sheikh Qabalan at 2pm on Wednesday.

ET409 crash: Missing part of black box recovered

The part that was missing from the cockpit voice recorder ( CVR black box) that was found on February 10 was recovered Monday , Lebanon’s Transportation and Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi announced.

Aridi said the recovered part was handed over to the investigation committee formed to probe the plane crash.

This part holds the memory of the CVR of the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET409 that crashed last January 25 minutes after take off from Beirut airport … it is the most crucial part of the box.

It was retrieved by the Lebanese army divers. A statement issued by the Lebanese army said navy commandos recovered the memory recorder of the cockpit voice recorder off the coast of Naameh, the site of the plane crash.

The other black box the flight data recorder ( FDR) was already found and sent to Paris for analysis

Meanwhile, search teams were able to pull more remains of victims on Tuesday.

The remains of 11 more plane crash victims were identified on Monday, raising the number of Lebanese victims identified to 41 from 54.

ET409 crash: DNA testing identified 60 victims

DNA testing has so far identified the remains of 60 of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash of flight ET409 and more testing is being done today
The Lebanese army divers are in the final stages of the search for victims of the plane crash according to local reports. 90 passengers and crew members were on the plane when it crashed last January, minutes after takeoff from the Beirut Airport. One black box was found and sent to Paris for analysis but the other black box ( cockpit voice recorder ) was missing a vital part when it was found and the Lebanese army is still searching for it.
The recovering of the remaining debris of the plane is awaiting a decision by the international committee investigating the crash.

ET409: Remains of 5 Ethiopians returned home

The families of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET409 crash issued a statement following their meeting at Rafik Hariri state hospital in which they said:
“With all our respect to those who worked in the rescue operations, what we have heard about the plane is not convincing.”
The statement added: “We are not accusing anyone. There could have been a technical malfunction but officials should take into consideration the families’ feelings.”
The remains of five Ethiopians victims that were killed in the airliner crash were handed over to an Ethiopian delegation to be returned to their home country according to the National News Agency.

ET409 crash : Remains of more victims identified

DNA testing has identified the remains of more victims of the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET409 that crashed last January 25 minutes after taking off from beirut airport :
Mohammed Mustafa Badawi, Tanal Abdallah Fardoun, Assaad Massoud Feghaly, and Haifa Ahmed Wazneh. The relatives of the victims were notified and will be handed over the remains on Saturday according to The National News Agency (NNA)
The Ethiopian embassy will also be receiving tomorrow the remains of five victims
The Divers of the Lebanese Navy Commando Unit have recovered more remains of victims today. DNA testing will be used for identification.
The divers also recovered seven suitcases belonging to the Ethiopian plane victims as well as passports and other personal belongings
Meanwhile Khalil Madani , one of the victims was laid to rest in his hometown of Deir Qanoun.
According to Al Manar TV, the remains of Marla Sanchez Pietton, French Ambassador’s wife were not handed over yesterday as originally planned. They will however be handed over tomorrow to an embassy delegation .