Pilot in Beirut jet crash ignored advice

THE pilot of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed flew in the opposite direction from the path recommended by the control tower after taking off from Beirut in thunderstorms, Lebanon’s transportation minister said yesterday.

All 90 people on board were feared dead after the plane bound for the Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, went down in flames minutes after takeoff at about 2.30am on Monday.

Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi said the pilot initially followed the tower’s guidance, but then abruptly changed course and went in the opposite direction.