Yared Mulugeta Getachew (pictured) was the main pilot on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302
Tearful colleagues have paid tribute to the pilot of the Ethiopian Airlines jet which crashed killing all 157 on board.
Senior Captain Yared Getachew, who was a dual Ethiopian-Kenyan national, was the main pilot on flight 302 which came down minutes after take off from Addis Ababa on Sunday morning.
Airline chief Tewolde GebreMariam said Mr Getachew had flown more than 8,000 hours and had an 'excellent flying record'.
The senior pilot issued a distress call shortly after departure and was told to return but all contact was lost shortly afterward. The plane then ploughed into the ground at Hejere near Bishoftu.
There were scenes of agony as members of an association of Ethiopian airline pilots cried uncontrollably for colleagues killed in Sunday's crash near Addis Ababa.
Framed photographs of seven crew members sit in chairs at the front of a crowded room.
One pilot says he had planned to watch a soccer game between Manchester and Arsenal with the flight's main pilot, Yared Getachew.
It was Getachew who issued a distress call shortly after takeoff and was told to return. But all contact was lost.
Tearful colleagues have paid tribute to the pilot of the Ethiopian Airlines jet which crashed killing all 157 on board. Pictured: Mourners attend a memorial service held by an association of Ethiopian airline pilots today
Senior Captain Yared Getachew, who was a dual Ethiopian-Kenyan national, was the main pilot on flight 302 which came down minutes after take off from Addis Ababa on Sunday morning. Pictures of crew members were rested on chairs as loved-ones gathered for a service in Addis Ababa
Families and friends wept as they gathered in Addis Ababa to remember crew members killed in the disaster
Another pilot says he flew with Yared several times and said they
