Two deadly plane crashes in the past 5 months have quite a few things in common, but the most talked about after Sunday's crash in Ethiopia, is the fact that both crashes involved the same model aircraft.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 is now under scrutiny and investigators are working to determine the cause after an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft, the 737 Max 8, crashed Sunday, killing all 157 people on board. On October 29, 2018, a Lion Air jet of the same Boeing model crashed into the Java Sea, just off the coast of Indonesia, killing all 189 on board. The Lion Air flight crashed just 13 minutes after takeoff, while the Ethiopian Airlines flight lost contact six minutes after takeoff. Both crashes involved the aircraft's first flight of the day and weather doesn't seem to have played a role in either crash.
On Wednesday at approximately 2:30 p.m., President Trump announced that all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 jets be grounded immediately. Boeing issued a statement saying it was grounding jets in the U.S. after the President's announcement.
In Consultation with the FAA, NTSB and its Customers, Boeing Supports Action to Temporarily Ground 737 MAX Operations: https://t.co/YGgmgAZK3O pic.twitter.com/5bnxevuzlD
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) March 13, 2019
The FAA also released a statement on Wednesday ordering the temporary grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft.
#FAA statement on the temporary grounding of @Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in a U.S. territory. pic.twitter.com/tCxSakbnbH
— The FAA (@FAANews) March 13, 2019
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The Boeing 737 Max 8 is one of Boeing's newest aircraft in the 737 Max family. Boeing produces the Max 7, Max 8, Max 9 and Max 10 and the majority of the Max aircrafts delivered through January 31, 2019, are Max 8 planes. The Max 7 and Max 10 are not in service yet.
In the United States, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines operate the most Boeing 737 Max jets.
Some Southwest flights departing Tampa International Airport are operated by Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft (B38M). Click here for a list of departing flights with type of aircraft.
Click here to track every 737-MAX currently in the air across the world, courtesy of FlightAware.
Boeing created and published a video on June 29, 2017, introducing the 737 Max, featuring the Max 8, titled "How to tell you're on a Boeing 737 MAX."
a difference in fare that would need to be collected for doing so. -Dillon
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) March 11, 2019
Boeing is facing new questions on the 737 Max 8 after Sunday's crash. After the crash in October, Boeing said the plane is safe and safety experts say it all depends on the completion of the investigations into the latest crash. Earlier this week, the company said it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies.
