Two 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.
CAPTIONS: (ABOVE LEFT) Tail section of ET-ANB landing at dusk at Dubai International Airport (DBX), United Arab Emirates, November 18, 2009. (Airliners.net/A. J. Best); (BELOW RIGHT TOP) A Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from Northwest Airlines Flight 188 which overflew Minneapolis on October 21, 2009 shown for comparison purposes (AP Photo); (BELOW LEFT TOP) The second black box belonging to the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed last month into the Mediterranean, is seen after it was retrieved by the army's marine commandos in the coastal village of Naameh, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010 (AP Photo/Lebanese Army, HO); (BELOW RIGHT LOWER) Lebanon's Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi shows photographs from the wreckage of the Boeing 737 that crashed on Jan. 25, 2010, during a news conference in Beirut International Airport, Lebanon, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 (AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil); (BELOW LEFT LOWER) Lebanese soldiers carry the black box of the Ethiopian Arilines jet that crashed off the the Lebanese coast on Jan. 25, which is seen placed in a sea water container shortly after it was pulled out by Lebanese marine commandos, south of Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday Feb. 7, 2010 (AP Photo/Lebanese Army, HO); (BELOW RIGHT BOTTOM) The same aircraft which crashed on January 25, 2010, ET-ANB, is shown landing at dusk at Dubai International Airport (DBX), United Arab Emirates, November 18, 2009. (Wikipedia/A. J. Best - Common Use, Public Domain);
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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.
We would like to hear your thoughts. Please leave comments below or by email and subscribe to get future updates.
Comments
As usual, Joel, kudos for your in-depth reporting and going the extra mile to try to get answers on stories such as this. It sounds as though the Lebanese government may not be forthcoming any time soon. I hope you can extract more information as events unfold.
You are correct in saying with holding any info breeds suspicion. Tx for your great reporting and request within this write for cooperation to give data.
Very strange that no one is able or willing to answer the questions.
I hope some answers come out soon - was the box open when recovered or can one only assume the "vital piece" was removed before the flight or was never there to begin with.
Joel, are the boxes checked after each flight or just if there is a problem. Are they automatically cleared or just rerecorded over?
This is getting more suspicious by the day. Maybe there is something more to it than a mechanical or weather related accident, but given where it occured we may never know.
Joel, you have once again, out done yourself. Great reporting. This sounds very suspicious and your reporting is really an eye-opener.
Great reporting. Thanks for keeping up with this case when it has fallen from the front page headlines. There seems to be something shady going on here...
Thanks for providing such good information on this story.
There seems to be an element of a cover up of a sabotage or a terrorist act; as the recorder will reveal without any dought the cause of the crash, whether the cause was a lightining strick, an on board bomb or a rocket hit.
The recorder must have been removed by a third party,either before take off , or after the black box was found.
Very interesting story Joel, I commend your perseverance.
I don’t believe that the voice recorder miss the crucial element, normally it was made to withstand all possible impact, I am too suspicious when they say the voice recorder miss “crucial element”, there is something going on to hide the cause of the accident.
Wait a minute! so it was the housing that was sending the radio signal that is used to track the Black Box in such incidents. Come on Lebaneess at least hire some 'smart' liars.
Something really fishy is going on here. Great reporting Joel!
I can smell something over there !!!!How on earth they unable to get the voice recorder at least from one of the black box????What about the communication beteween the radar controler and the pilot? There should be a record of there conversation in the radar station !!! It is not a joke.90 innocent people lost their life ,Our beloved sisters who work as a house mad in lebanon end up in sea,eat by fish ,,,,,,I never forget it.It s always a pain......Lebanos government and International community has to be transparent and work together to know what the cause of the accident.Thank you
As someone who is Lebanese, but living abroad, I know for a fact that everyone in Lebanon now firmly believes it was a terrorist attack. More importantly, that it was an assassination. One of the passengers on the plane, Tajjeddine, was a Party Member of Hezbollah. He lives and works as a Hezbollah representative in Africa. He is also one of the most important, prominent members. He has been threatened many times, and then he goes onto a plane that is firstly noted to have mysteriously 'disappeared' from radar, and secondly was seen by countless eye-witnesses on FIRE before falling into the sea. The government don't want to admit it may have been a bombing because immediately that questions the security of the airport at the moment - how the hell could they have put a bomb on the plane, big enough to blow it all up?
Good reporting. First time I've read your articles, but I'm impressed.
I can't believe what happen!! How they can't find the black box? I think there is something going on. I fill sorry who los the family and friend.
as all of you said the Lebanese goverment did not fo find the actual fact or tried to hidden what was happeing in that terreble accident. We Ethiopian and the Lebanese people have the right to know the exact case of the accident. sooner or later the fact will be out of the cotage. ad personal opinon their is some sabotage or attacking the aircraft form out side. no one is not belive said the Lebanese gov't discure wehter bad weather or the piolot error.
The more the Lebanese government tries to blame the pilot out of desperation, the more one could suspect of some sabotage behind the Ethiopian plane. Hope the fact of the matter becomes clearer sooner than later.
they really should be pushed for answers. thx for investigating.
I suppose Lebanees officials are trying to avoid the risk of portrayal of their Airport as one of the unsafe by attempting to cover up certain pivotal facts of the incidence. It is rather better for them to reveal their findings, name and shame the culprit, if any, and leave this case as a lesson for others to ward themselves off any similar incident. But, i believe, it is still prudent for everybody involved to reserve judgment unless and until report is officially released by the investigators.
Good report, glad that you are not presenting hearsay and fueling even more rumors.
I am Lebanese and I am very saddened by what has happened and upset how the government has handled it. However, please do not read too much in their failure/mismanagement. The Lebanese government has always been inept and has never managed to do anything correctly. Do not expect anything different now. In addition, there are many parties that have interest to blame others to score points. Unfortunately they are just upsetting the families who have lost loved ones.
In general, it is in the best interest of the Lebanese gov to say it is the pilot to blame (i.e. they did nothing wrong), and in the best interest of Ethiopia to say it is a terrorist act (their planes are in top shape and their pilots do not make mistakes). In the street, I have heard at least 100 different stories all equally unlikely.
Comment received via email on 02/14/10 at 5:30 A.M. PST:
Please bear in mind the following: history of violence among political/religious factions in Lebanon, the link some powerful political groups there have with what are generally branded international 'terrorists', and the possibility those 'terror' groups might have links with enemies of Ethiopia (such as in Somalia and Eritrea).
Ethiopia has been/continues to be in the fore front of the international fight against terror, with active support from and collaboration with the USA. For that, it has been threatened by the Al-Qaeda leadership openly, and the generally fragile security system in Lebanon could have been used to implement that threat.
Please also be reminded of the recent attempt by Al-Qaeda to bring down a US company owned aircraft that failed, and destroying a proxy airline in the EAL could have been used as a moral booster for the failed attack against the US carrier.
Comment received via email on 02/14/10 at 5:52 p.m. PST:
It seems sabotage. One minister of Lebanon was reported that sabotage is ruled out. The minister of health on the other day briefed that it seems that there was explosion. The pilot was experienced, the aircraft was again eight years old and checked to be technically OK. What can one guess from all these facts. There is some secret. Why do the Lebanese officials start blaming the pilot with no reason from the very beginning with out having any clue and evidence. Indeed there is secret at the back of this explosion. Debak file is telling us that Al-Qaeda is there at the back of this plane explosion. I feel it might be right.
Your incredible persistence in trying to calibrate the known and unknown re: this story is truly inspiring, Joel. Why am I picturing a dog who will get picked up and twirled around rather than let go of the tug-of-war rope? ;-) Hang in there!
Black Box and Voice Recorders send signals that is called beacon to help in findings. Lebanon Gov has already released a preas release saying that they have located the Black box before they recover it. Now after the recovery they are telling us that there is nothing but a housing. How the hell they locatted the black box with out the beacon signla is being recieved. This is a total
bullshit......and there is something realy fishy from the lebanese gov side.
Firstly, Ethiopian Air lines had not encountered such kind of problem in its history. It is confident enough by their pilots; moreover, the pilot had well experienced.
Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi is alleging the fault is due to pilot error. How could he say like that. Eye witnesses confirmed that the air craft start to burn after taking off immediately. This indicates some terrorist put something in its engine when the air craft is at the ground to loss Ethiopians air lines market.
I do know. This might be intended for other countries air craft by the Lebanese ground technician or near by police.
Voice signal/recoreded is detached from the black box. This indicates Lebanese government detached deliberately because it does not want to take the risk.
Since the searchers are lebanese, they did it immediately after they got the balck box for the sake of their country.
Finally, No body is accountable for this. It is Lebanese government and the terrorist countable for this!!!
@WNG
WOW! What a wonderful comment !
Is it common for the recorder to come out of the box or is there some sort of freak occurrence or cover-up here?
NO QUESTION, THEY DID IT! WHAT DOES A COUNTRY AT LARGE CAN BENEFIT BY CAUSING OR MASTERMINDING SUCH A GRAVE ACCIDENT ON THE OTHER COUNTRY'S AIR LINE? THEY EVEN DIDNOT CARE THEIR OWN CITIZINS WHICH WERE MORE THAN 55. NOW THEY ARE TRYING TO HIDE THE TRUTH WHICH IS AS CLEARE AS BLACK AND WHITE!!!!! SHAME ON THEM! BUT THE TIE BETWEEN THE TWO PEOPLE WILL REMAIN STRONGER THAN EVER!
At least the Lebanese government should be systematic lire. After all we are living in the 21 century, they cannot trick us like this. If they are wise, they must stop their wild reasons on the respected, dead pilot who cannot defend himself. A wise Government can not pronounce 100ds of paradoxical statements at a time. It is fact that our airline’s pilots have a world wide proven reputation that's why a number of middle-east nations come up to learn under the foot of Ethiopian airlines .But I don't mean that our pilots do not make a mistake, being human they may. But this time it is a solid fact that there is a Conspiracy behind the plane explodes in the middle of the air. Still it is not late for the Lebanese govt to accept the truth and stop their fraud.
People commenting here LOVE assumptions... Can you just let the investigation carry on so that the reason for the crash can be determined?? For your information, the missing vital piece of the CVR was found today.
In one or another, the source of the problem is on the lebanon side
I am shocked and very sorry to hear such a disaster. May God/Allah comfort all of you who are victims of this tragedy. The Lebanon government should be very much transparent concerning the condition. Even the Ethiopian government should tell to the people what they have reached at every moment. Our Ethiopian leaders we are praying for you that you may get wisdom and guidance to handle this problem. Don't worry everything will come to light on its own time. Whether it is a sabotage or a mechanical failure the truth will come out. Anyways the report a very good one. Thank you.
Tse
The lebabese authorities wanted to put the blame on the pilot ever since the accident occurred. This contradicts the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN agency resposible for air transport, annex 13 which say whenever accident occur all parties involved should refrain from speculating the cause of the accident. The lebanese authorities were not abide by this. They did not bother how their statments could heart the captain's grieving family. We may not know the truth. The report of the kenya airways accident that occurred in April 2007 in Duala Cameroon is not yet released. The Turkish airlines aircraft crash in Amesterdam in Febraury 2009 too is not released. Weather it is hit by a rocket or an explosive we may not be told the real cause. By the way the fidings of the comoros ET incident was never revealed. God may give the wisdom for families of the vitims pf Fligth 409. We are Poud of Ethiopian Airlines. We are proud of all the staff of ET, including those on 409
If not for a politically motivated reasons, all the above speculations, the more you get around and above all the feelings clicked in the deep hearts of the Ethiopian and Lebanese officials, tells us the most likely cause of the explosion, 90%, am I exagerating? The nest depends on the strength of the Ethiopian Gov't to defend and exercise its responsibility for the country. At most, USA and the powerful coutries around should prove there honesty at this tragedic drama of the lebanese gov't.
Oh its always the fault of the USA?? What about Eygpt Air?? Was that the USA's fault?? Or did the Islamic Pilot kill everybody? Why isn't Islam being HONEST?
It was wise to keep silent until scientific investigation reveals the fact. But the officials of Lebanon are doing unethical, blaming the pilot for the cause of air craft crash with out investigating facts. They tried to hide the reality. Ethiopians would not be quitted to reveal the cause of the accident.
It's easy for one to take side on this story. But let's try to just analyze the facts here. Eye witnesses said, the plane blew up mid air. One witness who said this, is now reported missing. Black box located without memory unit which later was located. Different stories being told by government officials of Beirut. Al-qaida, Hezbolla and Lebanon and a plane exploding mid air. Beirut officials not being explicit and transparent in handling case. Ethiopian Airlines, no human or technical error related crashes in its entire history. Beirut officials rushing to rule out terrorism and sabotage at the very beginning minutes after accident without any proof.
Come on folks, put the above pieces together. It's easy to tell someone is hiding something here. The question is what is it. We shouldn't neither be speculating nor pointing fingers before the truth is uncovered.
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