Ethiopian Air flight 302
On 10 March 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (ET302) took off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at 8:38am (UTC+03:00) and was due to arrive in Nairobi, Kenya. For the next six minutes, the pilots struggled to control the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft before crashing at high speed into the ground outside of Bishoftu, Ethiopia.
There were no survivors. All 149 passengers and 8 crew members lost their lives. Families lost mothers, fathers, children, siblings and grandparents. Communities devastated by the loss of friends, extended family, colleagues and neighbours. Thirty-five countries were robbed of leaders, activists, and outstanding citizens. Some were on their way to work for the United Nations, to represent a nonprofit organisation or a government, to vacation or visit family, and some were on their way home.
Mission Statement
As the grieving community of families of lost loved ones, we felt the need to establish Flight ET302 Families Foundation in August 2019 as an international nonprofit organization to enable all ET302 crash families to work together for their common interests. The families have, thus far, defined those interests, through surveys, as building a memorial on the crash site; holding anniversary events for gathering and mourning; aviation safety; and ensuring that families are full partners in directing Boeing charitable funds to the best use for our grieving communities.