Overview
- Flight 302 crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019, killing all 157 people aboard.
- Cockpit audio captured the first officer calling "Stab trim cut-out!" as the crew tried to disable electric trim and the captain’s final plea, "Pitch up, pitch up!"
- Despite cutting electric trim, the crew was overwhelmed as the jet continued an erratic descent that ended with a near-500mph impact about 30 miles from the airport.
- Witnesses reported unusual noises and a trail of white smoke during the dive as small objects fell from the aircraft.
- Boeing later acknowledged MCAS’s role; the 737 MAX was grounded worldwide from 2019 to 2020 with a brief 2024 suspension, and the NTSB assigned partial responsibility to crew management in its final assessment.