Max Fear ..”Ethiopian plane smoked and shuddered before deadly plunge”
HEJERE, Ethiopia (AP) — The Latest on Ethiopian Airlines crash (all times local):
7:30 p.m. GARA-BOKKA, Ethiopia (Reuters) – The Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed killing 157 people was making a strange rattling noise and trailed smoke and debris as it swerved above a field of panicked cows before hitting earth, according to witnesses.
Flight 302 took off from the Ethiopian capital on Sunday morning bound for Nairobi with passengers from more than 30 countries. All on board the Boeing 737 MAX 8 died.
The pilot had requested permission to return, saying he was having problems – but it was too late.
Turkish Airlines says two Britain-bound Boeing 737 Max flights are returning to Istanbul after British airspace was closed to the aircraft.
A company official told The Associated Press on Tuesday the planes — one heading for London and the other for Birmingham — were about to land in Istanbul after being diverted back. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
The company earlier announced that it was grounding all 12 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet until further notice.
— Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey
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7:20 p.m.
Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau says “all options are on the table” with regard to the country’s fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft but says the government currently has no plans to order the grounding of the plane.
Garneau’s comments came minutes after announcements from Britain, Germany, France and Ireland that they were grounding or closing airspace to the new Boeing plane involved in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster.
He later tweeted that he has canceled all his meetings and public events on Tuesday to meet with his Civil Aviation Expert Panel and will consider all potential actions.
