New York (TADIAS) – Two years after the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, off the coast of Lebanon with 82 passengers and eight crew members on board, its cause remains an open debate.
Ethiopian Airlines yesterday issued a strongly worded press release rejecting the findings of a Lebanese investigation, which blamed the Ethiopian pilot for the crash.
The Lebanese report is “biased, lacking evidence, incomplete and did not present the full account of the accident,” Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said in a statement. “The report contained numerous factual inaccuracies, internal contradictions and hypothetical statements that are not supported by evidence.” He added: “The investigative authority denied the recovery of the wreckage and ignored crucial information such as security footage, autopsy and taxo-logical records, baggage screening X-ray records, terminal CCTV records, full CVR recovery and read out, victims’ bodies were buried without medical examination and also declined to provide a detailed profile of passengers.”
Lebanese Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi is quoted by the press as saying it was “clear” that “there were errors on the part of the pilot and co-pilot who are entirely responsible for the plane crash.”
The flight crashed moments after takeoff from Beirut heading to Addis Ababa in stormy weather in the early morning hours of January 25, 2010. The Lebanese Army had said at the time that the plane broke up in mid-air before plummeting into the sea. Witnesses have described it as crashing after exploding in a ball of flame.
The 90 passengers and crew that perished hail from nine countries: Ethiopia, Lebanon, Britain, Canada, Russia, France, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
According to AFP news agency, the Lebanese report says the pilot and co-pilot had been working non-stop for 51 days and were exhausted.
Ethiopian airlines dismissed the report saying its crew was well-rested and it adhered to international standards on hours of work and rest.
“[Air traffic control] officers and other airlines pilots have witnessed a ball of fire on the aircraft in the air,” Desta Zeru, Vice-President of Flight Operations for Ethiopian Airlines, said in the statement.
“The aircraft disintegrated in the air due to explosion, which could have been caused by a shoot-down, sabotage or lightning strike,” he stated.
Above:Images from the most popular stories of 2010 posted
on Tadias.com b/n January 1, 2010 and December 15, 2010.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Thursday, December 16, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Some of the top stories featured on Tadias.com this year include, among others, the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, a violent arrest inside an Ethiopian church in Texas (caught on tape), the appointment of Captain Amsale Gualu as the first female captain at Ethiopian Airlines, as well as our exclusive interviews with rising music star Meklit Hadero, international model Maya Gate Haile and Ethiopian legend Teshome Mitiku.
The stories are displayed in the order in which they were ranked by Google Analytics. We have included links to each article as well as videos when available.
Here’s a look at the 10 most-read stories of the year.
1. Names of Passengers Aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 Above: Ethiopian women mourn the death of a relative killed aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, which crashed into the Mediterranean sea minutes after taking off from Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport in the early hours of Monday, January 25, 2010. The 90 passengers and crew that perished hail from nine countries: Ethiopia, Lebanon, Britain, Canada, Russia, France, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. (Photo: Getty Images).
2. Tadias TV Interview with Meklit Hadero Above: We caught up with rising music star Meklit Hadero during her summer concert at Le Poisson Rouge in New York on June 1st. The Manhattan appearance was a homecoming of sorts for Hadero, who spent part of her childhood in Brooklyn. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Political Science before settling in San Francisco where she launched her music career in 2004. Her debut album, On A Day Like This, has garnered national attention with repeated highlights on NPR. Reviewers have compared her sound to that of Music legends Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell. Watch the video below.
3. Exclusive Interview With Model Maya Haile Above: Earlier this year we also highlighted international model Maya Gate Haile. The Ethiopian-born model grew up in Holland before relocating to New York where her fashion modeling career has flourished. She is represented by the world’s top modeling agencies including IMG, Elite and Ford. Maya also works closely with UNICEF’s New Generation program. Her husband, Chef Entrepreneur and Author Marcus Samuelsson, introduced her to UNICEF and currently serves as Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Here is Tigist Selam’s conversation with Model Maya Haile at home in Harlem.
4. Violent Arrest Inside Ethiopian Church Caught on Tape Above: The incident happened at the Dallas Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Garland, Texas, on Sunday, May 2nd when a female congregate, Yeshi Zerihun, interrupted morning announcements to ask questions about church business, including about the presence of the unusually large number of police officers outside the church that day. She was told her questions were out of order, but other worshipers began shouting for answers. An amateur video shows the cops entering the church following a man in a suit and hysteria breaking out. Watch here the local news report.
5. Ethiopia Election Marred by Charges of Voter Intimidation Above: Ethiopia's 2010 national election was marred by charges of fraud and voter Intimidation. The country's two largest opposition parties were crushed in parliamentary elections held on May 23, 2010. The nation's 31.9 million registered voters went to the polls to select 547 members of parliament and representatives to regional councils. The results showed the ruling party sweeping 99 percent of announced seats. Opposition leaders contested the results through the court system which they eventually lost. The election process was roundly criticized by international observers. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi dismissed outside criticism as foreign interference – violating the sovereignty of Ethiopia. (Photo credit: AP)
6. Ethiopian Airlines Appoints First Female Captain Above: She may not be the first Ethiopian woman pilot, but Captain Amsale Gualu Endegnanew (right) is just as pioneering. She is the first female to become captain in the history of Ethiopian Airlines. “Captain Amsale proudly took off her first flight from the left hand seat of the flight deck of a Q-400 aircraft from Addis Ababa to Gondar then to Axum and finally returned back to Addis Ababa after a total of 3.6 flight hours,” the airline said following her historic flight on October 14, 2010. We don't have a video of Captain Amsale, but take a look below for a tour inside Ethiopian Airlines' latest Boeing jet. (Photo: Ethiopian Airlines via Nazret.com.)
7. Ethiopian Community Mourns 5 Dead in Seattle Fire Above: Nisreen Shamam (left), Yaseen Shamam (C) and Joseph Gebregiorgis (R). They were among those killed in an apartment fire in Seattle on Saturday, June 12, 2010. Thousands attended a public memorial service held on Saturday, June 19 at Seattle Center’s KeyArena. The service included an emotional visual tribute: One by one, the lives lost were celebrated on screen, a series of snapshots taken in happier times. The boy who dreamed of playing point guard for the Boston Celtics. The siblings who adored their older brother. The girl who liked to jump rope. And the young woman who could win any argument she set her mind to. Killed in the swift-moving fire at Helen Gebregiorgis’ apartment were three of her children — Joseph Gebregiorgis, 13, Nisreen Shamam, 6, and Yaseen Shamam, 5; her sister, Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis, 22; and a niece, 7-year-old Nyella Smith, daughter of a third sister, Yordanos Gebregiorgis. (Seattle Times)
8. Simon Bahta Arrested in New York City Above: New York City police arrested Simon Bahta Asfeha, the man wanted for the Virginia killings of his girlfriend – 27-year old Seble Tessema – and their 3-year-old daughter. Investigators in Alexandria had initially thought that Asfeha “may have sought refuge in the large Washington, D.C., area Ethiopian community or in a homeless shelter, ” according to America’s Most Wanted TV show. But he apparently had run away to New York City, where a witness alerted authorities on his location. He was captured without incident on Thursday, April 29 2010 in a coordinated effort between NYPD, the U.S. marshals, and Alexandria police. Watch below local media report of the crime.
9. The Nun Pianist: Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru Above: Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru after performing for the first time in 35 years in Washington, D.C. on July 12, 2008 (File photo by Makeda Amha). The 85-year-old classical pianist and composer, whose music has been popularized in recent years by the Ethiopiques CD series, is attracting younger audiences. “Every time I have put this on at least three new conversions occur, where the listeners go on to permanently install this woman’s music on their stereo,” Meara O’Reilly notes in a recent highlight on Boing Boing. “My neighbor even stalked me once just so she could listen to it more, until I just gave her my extra copy.” Listen to the music here.
10. Exclusive Interview With Ethiopian Legend Teshome Mitiku Above: Teshome Mitiku (second from right) has not returned to Ethiopia since his abrupt departure in 1970. In a recent exclusive interview with Tadias Magazine, the legendary artist who made a historic appearance accompanying the Either/Orchestra at the prestigious Chicago Jazz Festival in September, talked about his extensive music career, his memories of Ethiopia and his famous daughter, the Swedish pop star Emilia. Teshome burst into Ethiopia’s music scene during a period in the 1960′s known as the “Golden Era.” He was the leader of Soul Ekos Band, the first independent musical ensemble to be recorded in the country. The group is credited for popularizing Amharic classics such as Gara Sir New Betesh, Yezemed Yebada, Mot Adeladlogn and Hasabe – all of which were written by the artist. Prior to settling in the United States in the early 1990′s, Teshome spent over 20 years in Sweden, where he continued to hone his music skills, earn a graduate degree in Sociology, and witness his daughter grow up to become a Swedish ballad and pop music singer. We spoke with Teshome Mitiku over coffee on U street in Washington, D.C. The following sound features one of the artist's favorite songs, Gara Sir New Betesh.
Swedish pop singer Emilia (Teshome Mitiku’s daughter)
New York (Tadias) – Three days after the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, there is no news of survivors but there is plenty of information about the doomed aircraft.
According to Michael O’Leary, the Chief Executive of Ryanair – a discount airline based in Dublin, Ireland – the Boeing 737-800 may have been an eight-year-old plane previously owned by his company and later transferred to Ethiopian Airlines through a third party lessor in September 2009.
“I think they had it in maintenance, they did some work on it, between April and May. I think they leased it to Ethiopian in September, and something happened to it,” O’Leary told Reuters without identifying the third party. “We are not sure yet, but it may have been that aircraft that was involved in the accident…”
Ethiopian Airlines says the plane was leased from the American commercial and consumer finance company CIT Group, according to Reuters.
“The Irish Aviation Authority confirmed that the aircraft was a former Ryanair plane that had logged 17,750 flight hours in its seven years of service,” The Daily Mail reported. “And planespotters came forward to say they had photographed the jet at British airports between 2002 and last year.”
The news follows the plane’s crash into the Mediterranean sea minutes after taking off from Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport in the early hours of Monday, January 25, 2010. The incident happened only days after Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing announced a deal worth $767 million for 10 Next-Generation 737-800s. The company also has a pending purchase order with Airbus for 12 A350 commercial jetliners in a deal valued at about $2.8 billion at list price.
But Chief of Ryanair says buyer’s remorse would not apply to his plane: “What happened we don’t know. It’s a bit like you selling your car and 11 months later the new person driving it has a crash. It had nothing to do with us,” the Irish airline’s CEO told Reuters after a news conference in Rome.
Meanwhile, The Associated Press is quoting an army officer who says emergency workers have detected signals from the black boxes about 1,300 meters (yards) and about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the seaside airport and they will attempt to retrieve it in the coming days. The black box recording devices are key to solving the mystery behind Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409.
—
Cover photo courtesy of Boeing.
ET-409 Update: Thursday, February 18, 2010
(Watch Videos Below The Headlines)
New York (Tadias) – The Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star has published the names of passengers aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, which crashed into the Mediterranean sea minutes after taking off from Beirut in stormy weather on Monday.
The 90 passengers and crew that perished hail from nine countries: Ethiopia, Lebanon, Britain, Canada, Russia, France, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
According to the newspaper, the list was released by the The National News Agency of Lebanon.
Here are the names of passengers aboard flight 409:
1) Addis Abera Demise (Ethiopia)
2) Bahrnesh Megersa (Ethiopia)
3) Kidist Wolde Mariam (Ethiopia)
4) Elisabeth Tilhum Habtermariam (Ethiopia)
5) Rahel Tadese (Ethiopia)
6) Etenesh Admasie (Ethiopia)
7) Woinshet Meugistu Melaku (Ethiopia)
8 Azeb Betre Kebede (Ethiopia)
9) Tigist Shikur Hajana (Ethiopia)
10) Hani Gebre Gembezo (Ethiopia)
11) Alunesh Tkele (Ethiopia)
12) Shitu Nuri (Ethiopia)
13) Selam Zigdaya (Ethiopia)
14) Yikma Mohamed (Ethiopia)
15) Seble Agezc (Ethiopia)
16) Aynalem Tessema (Ethiopia)
17) Eyerus Alem Desta (Ethiopia)
18) Mekiya Sirur (Ethiopia)
19) Lakesh Zeleke (Ethiopia)
20) Tigist Anura (Ethiopia)
21) Askalesh Soboka (Ethiopia)
22) Meselu Beshah (Ethiopia)
23) Kevin Graingur (UK)
24) Marla Sanchez Pietton (France)
25) Akram Jassem Mohammad (Iraq)
26) Mohammad Abdel-Rahman Saii (Syria)
Names of Lebanese nationals:
1) Hanna Nakhoul Kreidy, born on 26/6/1987
2) Haidar Hassan Marji, born on 7/11/1976
3) Ali Youssef Jaber, born on 2/4/1967
4) Ali Ahmad Jaber, born on 5/8/1969
5) Abbas Mohammad Jaber, born on 13/7/1977
6) Mohammad Mustapha Badawi, born on 5/9/1970
7) Khalil Ibrahim Salah, born on 5/9/1961
8 Hassan Adnan Kreik, born on 25/1/1984
9) Saeed Abdel-Hassan Zahr, born on 5/10/1984
10) Hussein Ali Farhat, born on 25/1/1966
11) Mohammad Hassan Kreik, born on 14/10/2006
12) Ali Souheil Yaghi, born on 28/6/1973
13) Rawan Hassan Wazni, born on 27/6/1990
14) Bassem Qassem Khazaal, born on 10/3/1974
15) Haifa Ahmad Wazni, born on 25/10/1967
16) Ali Ahmad Tajeddine, born on 3/4/1979
17) Tanal Abdallah Fardoun, born on 1/2/1952
18) Mustapha Haitham Arnaout, born on 16/9/1986
19) Fouad Mahmoud Lakiss, born on 25/8/1946
20) Mohammad Kamal Akkoush, born on 23/12/1983
21) Toni Elias Zakhem, born on 18/6/1976
22) Hamzah Ali Jaafar, born on 31/5/1985
23) Hassan Mohammad Issaoui, born on 22/11/1951
24) Hassan Kamal Ibrahim, born on 13/12/1973
25) Ghassan Ibrahim Katerji, born on 15/12/1964
26) Haifa Ibrahim Farran, born on 25/9/1965
27) Hussein Youssef Hajj Ali, born on 26/7/1968
28) Fares Rashid Zebian, born on 28/9/1955
29) Farid Saad Moussa, born on 3/6/1966
30) Mohammad Ali Khatibi, born on 27/12/1989
31) Yasser Youssef Mahdi, born on 25/8/1985
32) Anis Mustapha Safa, born in 1941
33) Hussein Moussa Barakat, born on 16/12/1983
34) Antoine Toufic Hayek, born on 30/5/1965
35) Elias Antonios Rafih, born on 29/5/1959
36) Tarek George Barakat, born on 21/10/1971
37) Khalil Naji Khazen, born on 20/6/1967
38) Rana Youssef Harakeh, born on 1/2/1980
39) Mohammad Abdel-Hussein Hajj, born on 24/1/1957
40) Julia Mohammad Hajj, born on 2/8/2007
41) Hussein Kamal Hayek, born on 15/11/1977
42) Assaad Massoud Feghali, born on 22/4/1965
43) Ziad Naeem Ksaifi, born on 5/10/1974
44) Reda Ali Mastoukirdi, born on 31/3/1968
45) Albert Jerji Assal, born on 4/11/1959
46) Imad Ahmad Hather, born on 13/5/1980
47) Fouad Mohammad Jaber, born on 6/5/1957
48) Khalil Mohammad Madani, born on 1/12/1968
49) Hasan Mohammad Abdel- Hassan Tajeddine, born on 15/8/1960
50) Yasser Abedel-Hussein Ismail, born on 1/4/1973
51) Jamal Ali Khatoun, born on 5/11/1973
52) Afif Krisht (Lebanese British), born on 29/4/1954
53) Abbas Hawili (Lebanese Canadian), born on 2/11/1945
54) Anna Mohammad Abbs (Lebanese Russian), born on 23/1/1973
Video: 90 perish in Ethiopian jetliner crash (ntvkenya)
Video: Ethiopian Airlines Crashes into the Mediterranean (CBS)
Video: Ethiopian Plane Crashes Off Lebanon (AP)
Raw Video: Lebanon Plane Crashes After Takeoff (AP)
Ethiopian Airliner Crashes Near Beirut
Video: History of Ethiopian Airlines crashes
Raw Video From The Ethiopian Airlines Crash Site Off Beirut:—
ET-409 Update: Thursday, February 18, 2010
(Watch Videos Below The Headlines)
