The plane took off on January 25 at 2:37 a.m. and hit the water at 2:40 a.m., which means that the flight lasted four minutes only. The plane suddenly rose to approximately 2,750 meters before it plunged into the sea. The descent took around 40 seconds.
The pilot gave an order to the co-pilot after the former communicated with the air-traffic controllers at Beirut’s International Rafik Hariri Airport. Data analysis revealed that the co-pilot did not carry out the order or undertook an opposite action. Believing that the co-pilot complied with the instructions, the pilot consequently lost control of the plane. Investigators concluded that human error was the main cause of the crash.
Ethiopian plane crash due to human error - Politics - iloubnan.info
Edit: Please show mercy to the poor journalists, they have no idea of cockpit procedures. I think the main point here is: No bomb, no technical (engine) failure etc.