China Grounds All Boeing 737 Max 8 Following Another Deadly Crash

The Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday is the second deadly crash in less than six months involving Boeing 737 Max 8. In response, China's aviation regulator has suspended its entire domestic fleet of Boeing's fastest-selling model. Currently, China has all 96 of them in service.

On Sunday, Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 left Addis Ababa at 8:38 am local time on its way to Nairobi. Six minutes after take-off, the plane lost contact and found plowed into a field, about 60 km from the Ethiopian capital. The crash killed all 157 people on board. Eight Chinese passengers were listed on the ill-fated flight’s manifest, among 149 passengers and eight crew members. The victims were of 35 nationalities and many are still being identified.

Last year, the same plane model was flown by the Indonesian budget airline Lion Air, and nosedived into the Java Sea within 13 minutes after take-off, killing all 189 passengers and crew.

The circumstances of the ill-fated flights are eerily similar. Both flights crashed minutes after take-off, and both outcomes are equally tragic. The two crashes are still under investigation and the cause of both hasn’t been determined. However, in accordance with its principle of zero-tolerance on safety hazards, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has made the bold decision to ground all planes of the model until further notice.

"Given that two accidents both involved newly delivered Boeing 737-8 planes and happened during take-off phase, they have some degree of similarity," the CAAC told Reuters.

Watch: Searching Through the Debris of Flight MH17

From Monday morning, domestic routes that were initially scheduled to use 737 Max 8 planes have been replaced with the company’s 737-800 models.

The Boeing 737 Max 8 is the latest generation of the Boeing 737 and has four kinds of Maxes in the fleet, numbered 7, 8, 9 and 10. The 8 series, was the type that was involved in the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia.

Boeing has issued a statement of condolences on its website and social media channels. Boeing states that their technical team will provide technical assistance on the crash site under the direction of the Ethiopia Accident Investigation Bureau and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

Joining China’s suspension of the Max 8 models, Ethiopian Airlines has also announced its decision to ground the model until further notice on their official Twitter account.

Another airline that has followed suit to ground the MAX 8 craft is Cayman Airways, Cayman Islands’ national carrier. Cayman Airways president and chief executive Fabian Whorms said the airline was “putting the safety of our passengers and crew first."

Meanwhile, Silk Air, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, and other airlines have said that they are closely monitoring the situation but as of now continue to use the model in operation. Surprisingly, Lion Air and Garuda Indonesia, Indonesian airlines that both operate the 737 Max 8, are also among the airlines with no plans to ground the planes.

While the exact cause of the Lion Air crash is still under examination, reports from the flight’s black box have indicated that new features on the 737 Max 8 model and a faulty sensor might have contributed to the problem. The reports suggest that the anti-stalling system, a new feature in the 737 Max 8 model that was meant to prevent the plane from getting too high and stall, misread information by the faulty sensor and continued to force the plane's nose down, while pilots were struggling to adjust its altitude.

During the investigation of the Lion Air crash, US airline pilots who flew the jetliner revealed that Boeing didn’t adequately explain them about this new feature. However, Boeing responded by insisting that the proper procedures were detailed in the handbook and that pilots should have known how to handle the emergency despite not knowing about the modification. Now following the Lion Air tragedy, pilots have been informed by Boeing and flight regulatory agencies of Max’s new system, and have been given training classes on it.

While it’s too soon to link the Lion Air tragedy to the recent crash, people have taken to social media to condemn the company. So far, Boeing hasn't said much about the Ethiopian Airlines crash. On its Twitter account, it posted only a brief statement that says:

"Boeing is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a 737 MAX 8 airplane. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew on board and stand ready to support the Ethiopian Airlines team. A Boeing technical team will be travelling to the crash site to provide technical assistance under the direction of the Ethiopia Accident Investigation Bureau and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board."