Another 737 MAX jet crash prompts groundings by China, Indonesia, Ethiopia

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  The first Boeing 737 makes its maiden flight in 1967. [credit: Boeing ]

On March 10, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all 189 people aboard. The behavior of the aircraft—a Boeing 737 MAX 8 airliner—was eerily similar to that of Lion Air Flight 610, which crashed on October 29, 2018.

The Lion Air crash was caused in part by malfunctions in the 737 MAX 8's maneuvering characteristics augmentation system, or MCAS.

In light of the Ethiopian Airlines crash, China's civil aviation authority ordered all Chinese airlines to ground their 737 MAX aircraft—a total of 96 aircraft purchased since Boeing began delivering the airframe in 2017. Indonesia's national transport safety committee (KNKT) has also ordered Indonesian carriers to ground their 737 MAX 8 aircraft until further notice.

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