The widow of Michael Ryan, a United Nations engineer who died in a 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash, has won a $29m damages award in Chicago.
The verdict followed a civil suit filed by Ryan's family against the aircraft manufacturer. Court officials said the jury reached the amount by weighing extensive evidence of the airline’s safety practices.
Boeing officials issued a statement saying they are deeply sorry for all victims and that they respect families' right to pursue claims, even though most have already been settled.
Michael Ryan, born in County Clare, was a father to two and worked as an engineer for the World Food Programme. He helped deliver aid to vulnerable populations in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Ethiopia and Bangladesh.
The UN praised him for organising shelters in Bangladesh that protected thousands of Rohingya refugees, and for building medical centres in Liberia during the 2014–16 Ebola outbreak.
Ryan’s impact was global, and his death during the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 has prompted renewed calls for improved safety in commercial aviation.
The crash took place 30 miles southeast of Addis Ababa, after the plane’s automated system repeatedly pushed the nose down following sensor malfunctions. The tragedy remains a pivotal case study in aviation risk management.
