Ethiopian Airlines crash report due

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crashgallery1_676780a — # Ethiopian women, relatives of passengers of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed in the sea, react upon their arrival at Beirut airport, Lebanon. # Image Credit: AP

From, TheStar UK: A report into a plane crash which killed all 90 people on board, including a man from Plymouth, is due to be published.

The Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed in the Mediterranean Sea in the early hours of January 25 last year shortly after taking off en route from Beirut to Addis Ababa.

Relatives of the British victims are hoping the interim report, due to be released by the Lebanese transport minister, will help them to understand why their loved ones died.

The British passport holders on board flight ET409 were Kevin Grainger, 54, a musician from Keighley, Yorkshire, and Afif Krisht, 55, who had dual British-Lebanese nationality and split his time between Lebanon and Plymouth.

The Boeing 737 came down about four miles after takeoff, with witnesses saying it was on fire as it hit the water, with thunder, lightning and heavy rain lashing down.

Law firm Irwin Mitchell, representing Mr Grainger’s family, said there had been a year of speculation and rumour while relatives of the victims awaited the publication of the report.

Jim Morris, a former RAF pilot and a partner in the firm’s aviation law team, said: “It has been a long wait for answers, but it finally appears that the much-anticipated report into this terrible crash is set to be published.

“We look forward to reading and analysing the conclusions raised in the report, as well as using the evidence in our efforts to support Kevin’s family, who have suffered a tremendously difficult 12 months.”

He continued: “So far, investigations by the Irwin Mitchell aviation law team into the Ethiopian Airlines crash have highlighted the possibility of a problem with the aircraft.

“However, without an accident report, there is not yet enough detail available to back up suggestions of possible defects. We will thoroughly analyse the findings of the report to determine why the aircraft crashed.”