Summary of A Plane's Flight Path That Paints A "Baffling Picture" | Flight 409 | Mayday: Air Disaster

00:00:00 - 00:40:00

The Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 passengers and crew. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash, but one theory is that the crew was fatigued and made a series of wrong turns before spiraling out of control and crashing into the sea.

• 00:00:00 Tonight's flight out of Beirut is routine until a thunderstorm nears. Captain Habtamu Nagasa successfully maneuvers the plane away from the storm, but the first officer is inexperienced and the plane is only cleared to climb to 29,000 feet. The area controller instructs the crew to climb even higher, but the plane is hit by lightning and begins to descend rapidly. The captain tries to regain control but the plane crashes into a mountain, killing everyone on board.
• 00:05:00 The video follows the flight of Ethiopian Airlines 409, which crashes into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 passengers and crew. Shortly after the crash, the Lebanese military dispatches a rescue boat to the scene. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the crash.
• 00:10:00 The video follows the search for Flight 409, which crashed in Beirut after experiencing a storm. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash, but lack information such as wreckage or the black boxes. One theory is that sabotage occurred.
• 00:15:00 Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of a commercial airplane crash, which occurred on Mayday. The flight 409 crew was not able to send a distress signal and lost valuable time trying to find the wreckage. The flight followed an unusual and erratic path before crashing into the sea. The recovered wreckage includes the black boxes, the tail section, and the horizontal stabilizer.
• 00:20:00 The Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashed shortly after takeoff, leaving all 155 passengers and crew dead. Investigators were able to piece together the flight path using data from the aircraft's flight data recorder, which revealed that the stabilizer was set lower than normal for takeoff and caused the pilots to lose control.
• 00:25:00 Investigators used a flight simulator to try and figure out what may have caused Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 to crash, but they were unable to find a cause. The trim tabs on the plane were set incorrectly for takeoff, causing the pilot to have to constantly fight the aircraft.
• 00:30:00 Investigators are still trying to determine what caused Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 to crash, and they have ruled out terrorism as a potential cause. One possibility is that a mechanical problem caused the plane to spiral out of control.
• 00:35:00 In this video, investigators discuss the possibility of subtle incapacitation being a cause of the crash of Flight 409. The pilots were reportedly joking about being tired and had references to weed, which could suggest that they were impaired.
• 00:40:00 The crew of Flight 409 was fatigued and under increasing stress before the flight, which caused them to lose track of their position and what was happening. The accident was caused by the crew's inability to recover from their first wrong turn.