Journalists Die in Belarus Chopper Crash

Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Alastair T. Gardiner

In an announcement hauntingly similar to the initial release of 7 survivors (who were later confirmed as 22 dead), the cockpit voice recorder was reportedly found…but later reported to be missing the memory unit.

Ethiopia Airlines release is below and denies recovery of the CVR.
ET Flight 409 Accident Update 9 – 10 February, 2010

Ethiopian Airlines would like to express its position on the latest speculative reports released on the cause of the accident on ET-409, 25 January.

As a member of the investigation team, Ethiopian Airlines strictly adheres to the ICAO annex 13 regulation, in which it is mandated to refrain from any inconclusive comments on the process of investigation.

The investigation is still in its early stage and the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) and the aircraft wreckage are not yet retrieved for analysis, it is therefore, too early to conclude the cause of the accident. Ethiopian Airlines does not rule out all possible causes including the possibility of sabotage until the final outcome of the investigation is known.

Ethiopian Airlines would continue to cooperate with the investigation team to complete the process in accordance with the ICAO regulation and reveal the truth.

We share the pain and sorrow of the families of our crew and dear passengers who have lost their lives in the accident.

What: Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 en route from Beirut to Addis Ababa
Where: 2 miles west of the coastal village of Na’ameh.
When: Jan 25 2010
Who: 7 crew 83 passengers
Why: Shortly after taking off in stormy weather and heavy lightning, Lebanese ATC lost contact. The plane disappeared from radar 45 minutes after leaving Beirut. Witnesses on the coast saw the plane as it crashed into the sea. So far 9 bodies have been found by members of the Lebanese army