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Black Boxes of Crashed Ethiopian Jet Retrieved

   The devices could shed light on the cause of the crash that killed all
   90 people on board

   VOA News 07 February 2010

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

   A  Lebanese  army  helicopter  flies  past  the  USS Ramage, where the
   Ethiopian airliner crashed off Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010

   Lebanese army officials say navy commandos have retrieved the
   flight recorders from an Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet that crashed
   off the Lebanese coast last month, killing all 90 people on board.
   Officials  said  the  so-called "black boxes" were taken to a Lebanese
   naval  base  in  Beirut  Sunday and will be handed over to a committee
   investigating the crash.
   Search  teams located the latest segments of the plane 45 meters under
   the Mediterranean Sea just south of Beirut.
   The  airplane,  bound  for Addis Ababa, crashed shortly after take-off
   from Beirut.
   No  survivors  were  found,  and only 15 bodies have been recovered so
   far.
   Aridi   says  the  plane  abruptly  changed  direction  shortly  after
   take-off,  and  that  the pilot was unresponsive to appeals to correct
   its course.
   But  Lebanese  and  Ethiopian officials have cautioned against blaming
   the pilot until the flight recorders are reviewed.
   The  jet  broke apart in mid-air, erupted into flames and crashed into
   the sea.

   Ethiopian  Airlines  is  considered one of Africa's best carriers.  It
   operates  regular  flights  to  Lebanon, where thousands of Ethiopians
   work.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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