FILE PHOTO - Airplane engine parts are seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo

PARIS/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Pilots of an Ethiopian Airlines jet involved in a deadly crash cut out an electric trim system while the plane’s nose was down and were unable to stabilise the aircraft manually, prompting them to reverse the action, a preliminary report into the accident said.

The Boeing 737 MAX hit an airspeed as high as 500 knots (575 miles per hour), well above its operational limits, before cockpit data recordings stopped as the plane crashed on March 10 killing all passengers and crew, the report published on Thursday said.