Two recent Boeing 737 Max 8 airplane crashes have United States airplane passengers, airline employees, and some members of Congress on edge, especially because the United States continued to fly those planes for several days after the second accident. Other airlines and countries grounded Max 8 planes right after the accident. Finally, in an emergency declaration, the United States followed suit and grounded those planes as well. Long Beach wrongful death attorneys are hoping that investigation findings are forthcoming so that families of the almost 350 people who died in the two accidents will finally have some answers.
Two plane crashes
Two commercial plane crashes in less than six months are certainly worrisome and even more worrisome is that the planes were the same Boeing 737 Max 8 model and details of the crash patterns were similar, leading many to believe that there may be a defect in that particular model of plane.
- Lion Air Flight 610 – On October 29, 2018, Flight 610 leaving Indonesia crashed into the Java Sea killing 189 passengers and crew members onboard, shortly after take off. Witnesses to the accident said the airplane crashed into the sea at a steep nose-down angle. Three minutes into the flight, the captain requested permission to return to the airport due to flight control problems. In the next few minutes, the airplane descended abnormally before it finally crashed into the sea 12 minutes after takeoff. An official cause is not expected to be released for several months.
- Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 – On March 10, 2019, Flight 302 leaving Ethiopia crashed near Bishoftu six minutes after takeoff killing 157 passengers and crew members. It is reported that the pilot asked to return to the airport due to flight problems and then crashed. Flight tracker data shows fluctuating climb and descent immediately prior to the accident.
Only some planes grounded
Immediately following the accident, some countries and airlines grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 planes until an accident cause was discovered. Some countries closed their airspace to incoming Max 8 models as well. Southwest Airlines and American Airlines both have Max 8 planes but did not immediately ground those planes.
Some members of Congress called for a temporary grounding of the jets and President Trump expressed his concerns over Twitter. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents over 26,000 American Airlines flight attendants asked Americans to strongly consider grounding these flights until an investigation has been conducted. On March 13, President Trump’s administration ordered Boeing 737 Max jets grounded until further information is gathered.
Cause for concern
There is clearly cause for concern when it comes to the Boeing 737 Max 8 now that two flights have crashed within six months of each other and experienced similar reported incidents prior to the accidents. Long Beach wrongful death attorneys understand the grief and frustration that the crash victims’ families are going through, especially because they do not yet have the information they deserve about how and why these accidents happened.
If you have lost a loved one caused by someone else’s fault, contact our attorneys at JML Law to schedule a consultation. You want answers and our attorneys can help you get them.
