Ethiopian Airlines flight 409, with 89 passengers on board, lost contact with Beruit's control tower shortly after taking off and crashed into the ocean. Initial reports are suggesting that bad weather was the most likely cause. Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said "This is a painful, tragic event. We are sparing no efforts in trying to find survivors. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families of those on board.

"The weather conditions are terrible, but rescue efforts are still underway." He also ruled out a terrorist act or sabotage. Witnesses describe seeing lightening and some mentioned seeing a 'fireball' as the plane came down. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopian’s Chief Executive Officer, Ato Girma Wake said “The Lebanese Government has formed a rescue team lead by the Ministry of Transport. Also taking part in this rescue mission are the Lebanese Defense force including the Navy and the UN peace keeping force in the region.” Ato Girma also reported that a team of Aircraft Accident Handling and Crisis Management experts will be traveling to Beirut from London. One of the passengers was Marla Sanchez Pietton, the wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon.

The plane was a Boeing 737-8BK, built in 2007 and has an airworthiness certificate that is valid to 10 June 2010. Ethiopian does have a good track record, for pilots and security. Their pilots are generally trained on their in-country flights, where they learn to fly manually. They also gain valuable experience in Africa, where resources are not always advanced, but Ethiopian Airways operates at EU standards and their engineers maintain many fleets to high standards in Africa and beyond. Security is also taken seriously, because of conflict with Eritrea and Somalia and it has occasionally been targeted. According to sources familiar with the company, they often have security staff on board and one one occasion, were rumoured to have overpowered hijackers efficiently and brutally.