Family of Irish UN Victim Awarded $29M Over 2019 Boeing Crash

A US jury has awarded $29m (€25m) in damages to the family of Michael Ryan, an Irish UN employee who died in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crash, according to reports from the BBC, RTÉ, and the Irish Independent.

Flight ET302 Crash Details and Investigation Findings

Flight ET302 took off from Addis Ababa at 08:38 local time bound for Nairobi, Kenya, according to BBC reporting based on official data. Just six minutes later, at 08:44, the aircraft crashed 30 miles southeast of the airport near the town of Bishoftu, creating a crater 28m wide and 40m long where both engines were buried 10m deep.

The preliminary report from Ethiopia’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau noted that the take-off appeared normal. However, sensors measuring the flight’s angle soon recorded conflicting data, triggering an automated safety system—known as MCAS—that repeatedly pushed the plane’s nose down. Investigators found that despite the pilots following manual steps to disengage the system, the aircraft continued to push downward until impact, mirroring the fatal Lion Air crash months prior.

Legal Proceedings and Family Response

The legal case in the United States concluded with the multi-million-dollar payout to the family of Michael Ryan, who worked for the United Nations World Food Programme. According to the Irish Examiner, Ryan’s widow expressed that she felt vindicated by the US court decision, calling the resolution an important step toward justice for the victims of the preventable tragedy.