The Ethiopian Airways 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.
An Ethiopian woman lights a candle as she prays at an Ethiopian Orthodox church in Nairobi, a day after the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302 crashed. Source: AAP
The pilot had requested permission to return, saying he was having problems - but it was too late.
Half a dozen witnesses interviewed by Reuters in the farmland where the plane came down reported smoke billowing out behind, while four of them also described a loud sound.
"It was a loud rattling sound. Like straining and shaking metal," said Turn Buzuna, a 26-year-old housewife and farmer who lives about 300 metres from the crash site.
"Everyone says they have never heard that kind of sound from a plane and they are under a flight path."
Malka Galato, a barley and wheat farmer whose field the plane crashed in, also described smoke and sparks from the back.
Photographs of the crew members of the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302 that crashed are displayed during a memorial service. Source: AAP
"The plane was very close to the ground and it made a turn... Cows that were grazing in the fields ran in panic," he said.
Tamirat Abera, 25, was walking past the field at the time.
"There was fire and white smoke which then turned black," he said
"When it was hovering, fire was following its tail, then it tried to lift its nose," another witness Gadisa Benti said.
"When it passed over our house, the nose pointed down and the tail raised up. It went straight to the ground with its nose, it then exploded."
Black box recorders found
Investigators have recovered both black box recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8, the carrier said Monday.
"The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of ET302 have been Recovered," the state-owned airline announced on Twitter.
China - an important market for Boeing - became the first country to ground the 737 MAX-8 on Monday. Ethiopian Airlines did the same, saying the decision came as an "extra safety precaution."
Rescue workers carry wreckage at the crash site of Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 Max-8. Source: AP
Only the flight data and cockpit conversation contained in the doomed aircraft's black box can provide tangible evidence of what may have caused the latest accident - technical problems, pilot error or a combination of factors.
Weather conditions were good in the Ethiopian capital at the time of the flight.
Coincidence or repeat problem?
While Teal Group expert Richard Aboulafia said it was "too soon to make any kind of meaningful comment,"
"It's the same plane. and the pilots signaled they were experiencing problems, then the plane crashed. The similarities are clear," the expert added, requesting anonymity to speak freely on the matter.
Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee investigator Nurcahyo Utomo holds a model of a Boeing737 MAX 7 as part of the Lion Air investigation. Source: AAP
Chinese aviation authorities also noted the "similarities" between the two deadly incidents, saying operations would only resume after "confirming the relevant measures to effectively ensure flight safety."
Boeing has delivered 76 of the aircraft to Chinese airlines, and another 104 are on order, according to data from the company's website.
But Michel Merluzeau, director of Aerospace & Defense Market Analysis, noted that "these are the only similarities, and the comparison stops there as we do not have any other reliable information at this juncture."
In both cases, the air carriers have solid reputations.
Since the Lion Air accident, the 737 MAX has faced growing skepticism from the aviation community. The program had already encountered problems during development.
In May 2017, Boeing had halted 737 MAX test flights due to quality concerns with the engine produced by CFM International, a company jointly owned by France's Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aviation.
In late January, 350 of the narrow-body, twin-engine planes were delivered to customers out of 5,011 orders from Boeing.
The latest accident is a major blow for Boeing, whose MAX carriers are the latest version of the Boeing 737, its bestseller of all times with more than 10,000 aircraft produced.
Officials inspect an engine recovered the crashed Lion Air jet in Jakarta, Indonesia last year. Source: AP
"MAX is a very important program for Boeing in the next decade. It represents 64 percent of the company's production to 2032, and has significant operational margins," said Merluzeau.
"It is an essential tool to global transport and trade."
He said the next 24 hours are "key" for Boeing to manage the crisis with both travelers and investors worried about the reliability of its plane.
Market backlash expected
Boeing said it was "deeply saddened" by the Ethiopian Airlines incident, adding that a technical team would be providing assistance to investigators.
The expert who requested anonymity said Boeing will likely face some backlash in the markets, but the damage will likely be limited for the group, whose only significant competitor is Airbus.
Boeing 737-MAX 8 planes are parked near Boeing Co.'s 737 assembly facility in Renton, Washington. Source: AAP
The plane's future is so important for Boeing that if any technical corrections are needed, it will make them.
Following the October 29 incident in Indonesia, the aerospace community raised questions about the lack of information on the plane's anti-stall system.
After investigators said the doomed aircraft had problems with its airspeed indicator and angle of attack (AoA) sensors, Boeing issued a special bulletin telling operators what to do when they face the same situation.
An AoA sensor provides data about the angle at which air passes over the wings and tells pilots how much lift a plane is getting. The information can be critical in preventing an aircraft from stalling.
