ADDIS ABABA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Investigators of a doomed Ethiopian Airlines plane on Thursday denied recent reports that a foreign object might have caused the tragic plane crash that killed all 157 people aboard.
"Data retrieved from the flight does not indicate a Foreign Object Damage," said Amdye Ayalew, head of the investigation team.
Ayalew's remark came amid recent reports allegedly indicated that an attack by a foreign object on the crashed plane's sensor was a major cause of the deadly plane crash.
The Nairobi-bound Ethiopian airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed near Bishoftu town, about 45 km from the capital, Addis Ababa, just minutes after takeoff from Bole International Airport.
Ayalew, who denied reports of a foreign object attack, also noted that the investigation will go on as long as a year.
"We will analyze whether other problems were existing on this aircraft," he said.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian government also on Thursday disclosed that the pilots had followed Boeing required procedures, but could not control the flight.
"Based on the initial findings of the investigation the crew repeatedly performed all the procedures provided by the manufacturer, but was not able to control the aircraft," Ethiopian Minister of Transport, Dagmawit Moges, told reporters on Thursday.
The minister also noted that preliminary investigation results also revealed the doomed aircraft "possessed a valid certificate of airworthiness, and the crew obtained the license and qualification to conduct the flight."
She also revealed that "the take-off role appeared very normal."
