As Ethiopia Finds Black Boxes, Nations Ground 737 Max 8s

China, Indonesia among those to ground planes amid investigation into Ethiopia crash
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 11, 2019 2:12 AM CDT
After Crash, China Grounds All Boeing 737 Max 8s
In this Oct. 4, 2017 photo, SilkAir's new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft is seen through a viewing gallery window parked on the tarmac of Singapore's Changi International Airport.   (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

China's civilian aviation authority ordered all Chinese airlines to temporarily ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes Monday after one of the aircraft crashed in Ethiopia. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the order was issued at 9am on Monday and would last nine hours. It said the order was "taken in line with the management principle of zero tolerance for security risks," because the crash was the second after another of the planes fell into the ocean off the coast of Indonesia in similar circumstances on Oct. 29, killing all aboard, the AP reports. Indonesia has likewise on Monday grounded the 11 737 Max 8 planes operating within its borders, reports the AP. The groundings come as the flight data and voice recorders have been recovered from the site of the Ethiopia crash, reports the New York Times.

The Chinese administration said further notice would be issued after consultation with the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing. Eight Chinese nationals were among the 157 people aboard the Boeing 737 Max 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines when it went down shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa on Sunday, leaving no survivors. The crash in Ethiopia could renew safety questions about the newest version of Boeing's popular 737 airliner since the plane was new and the weather was clear at the time. Finding something wrong, the pilots tried to return to the airport but never made it. (An aviation analyst says the crash was "highly suspicious.")

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