Mystery deepens over ET409 crash in Lebanon

days ago, on Wednesday, February 10, the Government of Lebanon announced that marine commandos had recovered the second black box of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET409, which crashed into the sea shortly after taking off in extremely bad weather from Beirut on January 25. This gave rise to hopes for answers, which were soon dashed.

 At a press conference on Thursday, the Lebanese Minister of Transportation Ghazi Aridi indicated that the voice recorder was “missing a vital piece.“ Ethiopian and other media are now reporting that the equipment recovered was the metal housing of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), and not the actual digital recording device. In simple terms, what they pulled from the sea bed was an empty orange metal box.

This is disturbing news. The voice recorder is a critical part of providing clues in helping investigators determine what actually happened to bring the aircraft down

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) might contain additional information on internal communications between the flight crew, radio traffic between the aircraft and Lebanese flight controllers, and any unusual sounds during the aircraft’s five minutes of flight.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, was piloted by Captain Habtamu Benti, a 42-year-old veteran who had over 20 years of flying experience. He started out flying De Havilland Dash-6 on domestic flights and, during his career, flew Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737, 757 and 767 on domestic and international flights to the United States and to Europe and the Middle East.

Witnesses reported seeing the plane on fire as it fell from the sky in multiple pieces.

The aircraft’s flight data recorder had earlier been recovered on Sunday, February 6 in 150 feet (45 meters) of water off the coastal village of Naameh, south of Beirut. It was sent to the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), which is headquartered at Le Bourget Airport near Paris. BEA, an agency of the French government, analyzes aviation accidents and functions similarly to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The Government of Lebanon has asked BEA to investigate this incident. Marla Sanchez Pietton, identified as the wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon, was a passenger on the aircraft.

 The Airlines/Airport Examiner contacted Boeing for additional information. According to Boeing spokesperson Sandra L. Angers, “Boeing does not manufacture the FDR or CVR. These components are buyer-furnished equipment, meaning the operator purchases the components from a manufacturer and provides them to Boeing for installation. The manufacturers of FDRs and CVRs for the 737 are Honeywell and L-3 Communications.” Ms. Angers also stated that recorders are located in the aft lower lobe (cargo section) of the 737.

When asked to elaborate further on Mr. Aridi’s “missing a vital piece” comment, Ms. Angers replied, “Boeing cannot provide that information. Recorder manufacturers may be able to discuss the general parts of the FDRs and CVRs, but keep in mind that under the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Annex 13, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the only authoritative source of the progress or status of the investigation.”

In her reply, Ms. Angers also added this statement, “Boeing extends its heartfelt condolences to all who are affected by the accident.”

ICAO is a major agency of the United Nations, and is based in Montreal, Canada.

We also contacted the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington, D.C., and received this reply from NTSB spokesperson Bridget Serchak, “You need to contact Boeing and BEA directly for answers to these questions. There is no additional information that the NTSB can provide regarding this investigation, as the Government of Lebanon is in the lead.”

In efforts to obtain further information on flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders, we further sent queries to Bill Reavis of Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix, Arizona, and to Jennifer Barton, media relations director for L-3 Communications in New York CIty, the two companies which manufacture these devices. Mr. Reavis did not return our call. Ms. Barton replied as follows, “We will not be able to provide any information within the timeframe you have set.  I do not have information on this incident or whether L-3 equipment was on that aircraft.”

The Ethiopian and Lebanese press contain an array of charges and counter charges, based on rumor and speculation. From discussions with aviation experts on background, it is too early to draw any conclusions, or to add support to theories of foul play, sabotage, or pilot error. We would urge our readership to keep an open mind. If asked for our advice, we would also counsel the Government of Lebanon and its Minister of Transportation to be more transparent and accessible to media inquiries. Lack of information and access only creates more suspicions.

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