Almost a month after releasing comments criticizing the Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (EAIB) for its final report on the March 2019 fatal accident of a Boeing 737 Max 8, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today (January 24) released new comments challenging the Ethiopians. “But the NTSB found the erroneous AOA sensor output was caused by separation of the AOA sensor vane due to impact with a foreign object [italics added], which was most likely a bird. During the accident investigation, the NTSB provided the EAIB with evidence supporting this finding, but that evidence was not included in the final report.”The board further wrote, “The AOA sensor vane heater’s function is to prevent ice formation that could restrict vane movement. The conditions present at the time of the accident were above freezing temperatures with no moisture present (that is, ice could not form regardless of the heater’s operational status). “Boeing had provided the information to all 737 Max operators four months before the Ethiopian Airlines crash,” according to today’s NTSB statement.

Source: Ethiopian News January 24, 2023 22:24 UTC