Irish widow devastated over decision to not reopen plane crash plea deal

Naoise Connolly Ryan said she and her lawyers remained undeterred and would be continuing to fight for justice through the courts.

Naoise Connolly Ryan at her home in Cork City. Her husband, Mick Ryan from Lahinch, Co Clare, died when a Boeing 737 Max crashed minutes after taking off in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2019. Picture: Dan Linehan

Naoise Connolly Ryan, who lost her husband in a preventable Boeing crash in 2019, says she is devastated by a US judge’s decision not to reopen a plea deal.

Speaking in a court in Texas, Judge Reed O’Connor said Boeing’s crime “may properly be considered the deadliest corporate crime in US history”. However, he said he did not have the legal means to challenge the deal, known as a deferred prosecution agreement, which gives the company immunity from prosecution.