Ethiopian Airlines 737 Crash: Family Of Woman Killed Sues Boeing

CHICAGO — The family of a woman killed in last month's Ethiopian Airlines crash announced Thursday that they're suing Boeing. The lawsuit, filed in Chicago, is the first legal action against the aircraft manufacturer following the disaster that killed 157 people on March 10.

Samya Stumo, 24, was on a work trip with the Washington, D.C.-based health systems development organization Thinkwell when the aircraft she was on — a Boeing 737 Max 8 — crashed shortly after taking off from Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. It was the second crash by that specific type of plane in five months — another Boeing 737 Max 8 plunged into the Java sea last October, killing 189 people.

Stumo, who grew up in Sheffield, Massachusetts, was a niece of consumer rights advocate and past presidential candidate Ralph Nader. Stumo was active in health systems research and held a master's degree in global health from the University of Copenhagen. She also held bachelor's degrees in anthropology and Spanish from the University of Massachusetts.

A press conference was held Thursday morning with Stumo's parents and brother, who expressed tearfully how deeply their lives have been impacted by their loved one's death.

"As somebody who has lost the dearest person in my life, I want her death not to be in vain," said Stumo's mother, Nadia Milleron. "I don't want anybody else to die."

Nader spoke over the phone at the conference about his niece's success in her field and the loss to not only her family and friends, but her field of research.

The lawsuit accuses Boeing of negligence, strict liability, breach of warranty, failure to warn and civil conspiracy.

"I'd like to reiterate our deepest sympathies are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the accident," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Kevin McAllister in a statement. "We thank Ethiopia's Accident Investigation Bureau for its hard work and continuing efforts. Understanding the circumstances that contributed to this accident is critical to ensuring safe flight. We will carefully review the AIB's preliminary report, and will take any and all additional steps necessary to enhance the safety of our aircraft."

A preliminary report into the Ethiopian Airlines crash shows that a foreign object or bird hit the plane's attack sensor, which sits outside the cockpit. The damage caused one of the aircraft's software systems to malfunction, which caused the crash. Boeing said the same problem caused the Indonesia crash.

To ensure the same problem won't occur again, Boeing said a software update is being released, along with a comprehensive pilot training program. Flight crews will always have the ability to override the software and manually control the plane, the company said.

Stumo's family is filing a separate claim against the Federal Aviation Administration.