Twelve years after the deadly crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, the widow of Michael "Mick" Ryan, a World Food Programme engineer from County Clare, has won a landmark civil verdict in Chicago.
The judge awarded the Ryan family $29 million ($21.5 million pounds) in damages after a lawsuit filed by the family against the manufacturer of the aircraft – Boeing.
In a statement, Ryan’s lawyers said the verdict was a "measure of accountability and justice," while a Boeing spokesperson expressed sorrow for the loss of life and confirmed its willingness to respect the families’ right to pursue claims.
Michael Ryan, who had lived in Cork and worked for the UN, was one of 157 passengers who perished when the Boeing 737‑Max 8 crashed 30 miles southeast of Addis Ababa on 10 March 2019.
Ryan had devoted his professional career to humanitarian projects across the globe, architecting shelters in Bangladesh to protect Rohingya refugees from natural disasters and building medical centres during the Ebola outbreak in Liberia.
"His impact was worldwide," said lawyer Steven C. Marks of the family’s case.
The crash and the subsequent legal proceedings have sparked renewed scrutiny of the Boeing 737‑Max series, a line of aircraft that had already seen two deadly incidents worldwide.
Flight ET302 departed from Addis Ababa at 08:38 local time (05:38 GMT) on 10 March and crashed shortly after take‑off; investigators noted that sensors failed to interpret the plane’s pitch accurately, leading to repeated nose‑down commands even when pilots attempted manual override.
The case highlights how the families of victims can seek justice, but also how the aviation industry must remain vigilant about safety protocols to prevent future tragedies.
