Boeing official played down scenario that may have doomed Ethiopian jet

Four weeks after faulty sensor data led a 737 MAX jet to crash in Indonesia last year, a high-ranking Boeing executive raised and dismissed the possibility of a bird collision triggering a similar sequence of events that could cause a second accident. US aviation authorities increasingly believe that a version of that scenario, described by Boeing executive Mike Sinnett at a November meeting with American Airlines pilots, may have led to the Ethiopian Airlines crash nearly 4 months later, according to officials familiar with the details. The crash happened after a sensor sent faulty data—possibly due to a bird strike—causing an automated flight-control system to misfire. Now, Ethiopian Airlines is pushing back against criticism of its pilots by complaining the plane maker didn’t do enough to warn them. <br/>