Family of Irish plane crash victim awarded $29m in damages

Chicago Jury Awards $29 Million to Widow of Irish UN Engineer Killed in Ethiopian Airlines Crash

Ninoda.com – A family has received substantial compensation following the tragic death of an Irish United Nations worker who perished when a Boeing 737 Max aircraft went down in Ethiopia during 2019. Naoise Connolly Ryan, widow of Michael “Mick” Ryan, was granted $29 million (£21.5 million) by jurors in Chicago after filing a civil lawsuit targeting the plane’s manufacturer.

Legal representatives described the outcome as “an important measure of accountability and justice” for those affected by the disaster. Boeing responded by expressing that the company is “deeply sorry to all who lost loved ones” and acknowledged families’ right to “pursue their claims” through legal channels.

A Life Dedicated to Global Service

Michael Ryan, a father of two children who resided in Cork but hailed from County Clare, was one of 157 passengers and crew members who died aboard the Ethiopian Airlines flight. He served as an engineer for the United Nations World Food Programme, dedicating his career to humanitarian efforts worldwide.

According to a UN memorial page, Ryan assisted the organization in delivering aid to vulnerable populations across Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh. The agency highlighted his contributions to constructing shelters and infrastructure in Bangladesh, efforts that “saved tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from the threat of landslides and floods.” Additionally, he established medical centers in Liberia during the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic.

Legal Victory and Ongoing Accountability

Steven C Marks, attorney representing Connolly Ryan, emphasized that monetary compensation cannot substitute for human life or erase the devastation experienced by the family. “While no financial award can ever replace a life or undo the profound loss his family has endured, we are grateful that the jury carefully considered the evidence and reached this decision,” Marks stated.

“Connolly Ryan has pursued justice for Mick with extraordinary strength and determination,” Marks noted. “Our firm Podhurst Orseck have been honoured to stand beside her in her unwavering pursuit to hold Boeing accountable.”

“Although the verdict marks a significant milestone, the broader effort to hold Boeing responsible for this tragedy, and to help prevent anything like it from happening again, is just as important,” he continued.

Marks told BBC News NI that Ryan “will be missed by the world at large” because that was “who he served.” He remarked, “It’s tragic to the public, but it pales in comparison to the loss for the family. His impact was worldwide.”

Details of the Tragic Crash

Flight ET302 departed from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, at 08:38 local time (05:38 GMT) on March 10, 2019, bound for Nairobi, Kenya, on a scheduled two-hour journey. Just six minutes into the flight, at 08:44, the aircraft crashed approximately 30 miles southeast of the airport near Bishoftu town.

The collision’s force was tremendous, with both engines sinking to a depth of 10 meters (32 feet) inside a crater measuring 28 meters wide and 40 meters long. Ethiopia’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau preliminary report indicated that takeoff proceeded normally initially.

However, shortly afterward, two sensors monitoring the aircraft’s angle of attack began displaying conflicting readings. This discrepancy activated an automated safety mechanism that repeatedly forced the nose downward—a phenomenon also documented during the earlier Lion Air Flight 610 disaster.

The 2019 Ethiopian authorities’ investigation concluded that pilots attempted to deactivate the system according to procedure. Despite manual efforts to stabilize the aircraft, the automated system continued pushing the nose down until the plane ultimately crashed.

“We are deeply sorry to all who lost loved ones on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302,” a Boeing spokesperson said in a statement. “While we have resolved nearly all of these claims through settlements, families are entitled to pursue their claims through the court process, and we respect their right to do so.”

Relatives and colleagues have since paid their respects to those who lost their lives in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, honoring Ryan’s memory as a dedicated professional whose work touched countless lives across multiple continents.