Families of Boeing crash victims coming from as Far Away as France, Germany and Canada to commemorate four-year anniversary of MAX 737 crash; will mark the March 10 date at Boeing’s New Virginia Headquarters as Senate holds hearing on Aircraft Certification and Safety Act
Families and friends who lost loved ones in the March 10, 2019, Boeing 737 Max 8 crash in Ethiopia will hold a memorial protest in front of the Boeing headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, marking the four-year anniversary of the tragic event.
Supporters representing those who lost loved ones are coming from as far away as France and Germany as well as the U.S. and Canada, including two Chinese national families, to honour those killed in the crash. They will be carrying pictures of those killed in the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash along with placards that speak of demanding justice in the criminal arena.
The group will be gathering Friday (March 10) at 1:30 p.m. EST at the Boeing headquarters, 929 Long Bridge Dr., Arlington, Virginia. THE EVENT WILL BE STREAMED LIVE ON ZOOM (see bottom for link) where they will speak to the press. Additional victims’ family members from around the world will join the Zoom press conference.
It should be noted that on WED., March 8, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held a hearing at 10 a.m. EST regarding the Implementation and Oversight of the Aircraft Certification, Safety and Accountability Act. Billy Nolen, Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is listed as the only witness to testify at the full Committee hearing in Russell 253. This hearing examined the implementation of aviation safety and oversight reforms mandated by the Aircraft Certification, Safety and Accountability Act of 2020 (ACSAA). The hearing also was expected to review any additional reforms necessary to enhance FAA’s aviation safety and oversight of certification and manufacturing processes, an issue that came to the forefront following the two crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX.
“It’s been four years and I still can’t get to sleep at night. My entire life is changed, it’s different forever,” said Catherine Berthet of France, who lost her daughter Camille Geoffroy, 28, in the 2019 crash. “This day will always mark the saddest day of my life. I cannot let Boeing forget what it did. I am doing this for my daughter and for everyone who should never have lost their lives on that day. Shortly after the first crash in 2018 of a Boeing 737 MAX, everyone knew the root cause of the crash, especially Boeing executives. This plane fleet should have been immediately grounded. But Boeing preferred to play with the odds and money of its shareholders. Now the flying public needs to know that Boeing has not changed and that the 737 MAX still doesn’t meet international safety regulations as far as the flight deck alerting system is concerned. This plane is still dangerous.”
The first Boeing 737 MAX plane crashed into the Java Sea about nine minutes after taking off from Indonesia on Oct. 29, 2018, killing all 189 on board. The plane was not grounded worldwide until 157 more lives were lost when a second 737 Max crashed about six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, headed for Kenya. The MAX fleet was grounded for 20 months, the longest grounding of an aircraft in aviation history.
Boeing announced recently that it moved its headquarters from Chicago to its facility in Virginia. The DOJ entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with Boeing allowing Boeing executives to avoid criminal charges, a case that was heard in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, where dozens of families were allowed to speak in open court about the terrible losses they have suffered. DOJ entered into a secret deferred prosecution agreement that did not include the families, an alleged violation of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act. The criminal case there currently is on appeal.
“The murder of our daughter, Danielle Moore, has shattered our family,” said Clariss Moore of Toronto, Canada, who lost her 24-year-old daughter in the crash. “America and the whole world know that Boeing and its CEO committed America’s deadliest corporate crime in American history. Danielle worked tirelessly for justice throughout her 24 years. We will not let the Department of Justice and Boeing take away her voice and the voice of all the victims of ET 302. For four years we have fought tirelessly for justice and demanded that the justice system do what is right. No matter how difficult it may be, we will continue to stand for Danielle, we will continue to pick up the pieces and we will continue to carry Danielle’s torch, until she gets the justice she deserves.” Clariss and her husband Chris will be attending the memorial protest at Boeing on March 10.
Berthet added, “The flying public needs to know that no matter what Boeing says, neither the company itself nor its corporate executives have ever been condemned for what has been called the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history.” Berthet who will fly to Arlington, Va., to join the commemorative event, said, “Boeing and its entire management team must be held accountable for manslaughter. The criminal matter must be fully heard so that the victims’ families’ rights are respected.”
