Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-8AS plane crash
Beirut, Lebanon
Updated on
The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 passenger plane took off from Beirut, Lebanon, bound to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 82 passengers and 8 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed shortly after take off, killing all the 90 occupants.
After take-off, the plane was supposed to follow Standard Instrument Departures path. The pilot initially followed the control tower's guidance, but then abruptly changed course and went in the opposite direction and disappeared from radar screen. The plane crashed into the sea, about 6 km past the end of the runway it took off from, some 3,5 km offshore from the village of Naameh. Pieces of the plane and other debris were washing ashore.
A violent thunderstorm was prevailing on Beirut airport at the moment of the accident. Witnesses report the plane exploded into a ball of flames and plunged into the sea.