Michael Ryan, a father of two, lived in Cork and worked as an engineer for the United Nations World Food Programme. He was among the 157 people who died on March 10, 2019, when a Boeing 737 MAX operating Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed just six minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa, as reported by Entrevue. His widow, Noize Connolly Ryan, filed a lawsuit in a U.S. court. Following the civil trial, jurors in Chicago awarded her $29 million in damages. The family’s attorney, Stephen S. Marks, called the verdict an important step toward accountability and justice. He emphasized that no amount of money can replace a human life or compensate a family for the loss of a loved one. After the court's decision, Boeing once again expressed its deep condolences to all who lost loved ones in the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes. The company noted that nearly all similar lawsuits have been resolved through settlements, but families have the right to seek court hearings. The crash of flight ET302 was linked to the operation of the MCAS automated control system. After takeoff, sensors began transmitting conflicting data, causing the system to repeatedly push the nose of the plane down. The crew attempted to handle the situation, but the aircraft crashed. Similar issues with MCAS were also noted in the investigation of the Boeing 737 MAX crash of Lion Air that occurred five months earlier. Michael Ryan was involved in humanitarian projects in various countries around the world. In particular, he participated in building protective structures for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and medical centers in Liberia during the Ebola outbreak.
