An Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 90 people reportedly caught fire and crashed into the sea just after taking off from Beirut in bad weather very early Monday morning.
The most recent reports indicate that the pilots did not (and possibly could not) comply with air traffic control directions and conducted a unusual maneuver shortly before the crash.
It is too soon to rule out possible causes of the disaster and it is important for the investigators to determine whether there was a mechananical problem with the airplane.
Some commentators are speculating that there might have been a bird strike, engine failure or some other mechanical failure. Others are discounting the possibility that weather was a factor or that terrorism or sabatoge was at issue. I think it’s too soon to speculate about the cause and I am happy that the National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team to assist in the investigation.