After the Lion Air flight carrying 189 passengers crashed into the sea on Monday morning, the search and rescue team happens to have found part of the body of a Lion Air plane, Indonesia’s military chief Wednesday told television channels. Indonesia has also deployed “pinger locators” to try to locate the plane’s blackboxes, as the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder are known, at the crash site.
The pilot, an Indian died in the crash, confirmed the Indian Embassy in Jakarta. Rescue officials also said that they are not expecting any survivors. Human remains, pieces of aircraft and personal belongings were retrieved by the rescuers in Java Sea. The flight that took off from Jakarta to the city of Pangkal Pinang off the island of Sumatra crashed into the sea minutes later.
President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation and urged Indonesians to “keep on praying.” An official of Indonesia’s safety transport committee said he could not confirm the cause of the crash, which would have to wait until the recovery of the plane’s black boxes, as the cockpit voice recorder and data flight recorder are known.
In Pictures | Minutes after takeoff, Indonesian flight with 189 aboard crashes into sea
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, center, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, left, and Chief of National Search and Rescue Agency Muhammad Syaugi, right, inspect debris retrieved. (AP Photo)
A massive search effort has identified the possible seabed location of the crashed Lion Air jet, Indonesia's military chief said Wednesday, as experts carried out the grim task of identifying dozens of body parts recovered from a 15 nautical mile search area.
Indonesia deployed divers on Tuesday to search for an airliner that crashed with 189 people on board, as 'pinger locators' tried to zero in on its cockpit recorders and find out why an almost-new plane went down in the sea minutes after take-off. Sonar vessels and an underwater drone have also been hunting for the wreckage of the fuselage, where many victims were feared trapped, officials said.
The head of a national transport safety panel, Soerjanto Tjahjono, said that underwater 'pinger locators', including equipment from Singapore, were being deployed to help find the aircraft's black boxes.
"As on date, six B737Max 8 aircraft in India have accumulated about 4,000 hours since their induction effective June 2018 onwards. There are no significant technical issues encountered on these aircraft," the official said. However, the official did not elaborate.
More than 200 737 MAX planes have been delivered across the world by Boeing. Following the crash, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had also sought details about it from Boeing and US regulator Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).
"We have many questions for them ... This was a new plane," Lion Air Director Daniel Putut told reporters at a police hospital where doctors were identifying victim from Monday's crash. Lion Air, one of Boeing's largest customers globally, announced in April a firm order to buy 50 Boeing 737 MAX 10 narrowbody jets with a list price of $6.24 billion. Putut said the next delivery of the 737 MAX aircraft would have to undergo "an evaluation process" following the crash.
Rescue personnel searched the sea where the plane crashed northeast of Jakarta, sending 26 body bags to identification experts, while the airline flew dozens of grieving relatives to the country's capital, Jakarta.
The 2-month-old Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet crashed into the Java Sea early Monday, just 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta for an island off Sumatra. Its pilot requested clearance to return to the airport just 2-3 minutes after takeoff, indicating a problem, though the cause is still baffling.
Aircraft debris and personal belongings including ID cards, clothing and bags found scattered in the sea were spread out on tarps at a port in north Jakarta and sorted into evidence bags. (AP)
Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee says experts from Boeing will arrive in Indonesia on Wednesday to help with the investigation of the crash of a Lion Air jet. The 2-month-old Boeing 737 Max 8 plane crashed into the sea northeast of Jakarta on Monday just minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 people on board.
Accident investigator Ony Suryo Wibowo told a news conference that officials have only a small amount of information so far and don't know if it's correct. He implored the public to be patient. The plane's flight recorders have not yet been located. He said: "To all Indonesian people, we are saddened and offer condolences but give us time to investigate why the plane crashed. Give us a chance to look deeply, to look at the whole problem, so the responsibility given to us by the government can be carried out.''
An official of Indonesia's national transportation safety committee said, 'The suspected cause of the accident is still being investigated and it is making us all curious what could have caused it.' He said the committee has a recording of the conversation between the pilot of JT610 before it crashed and the control tower at Jakarta, as well as input from the public, including comments on social media. 'We are also asking for information from the last pilot who flew from Denpasar to Jakarta, but we have not met the technician,' he added.
The jet that crashed in Indonesia on Monday morning flew erratically during a flight the previous evening when it experienced a "technical problem", according to data from flight-tracking website FlightRadar24. After taking off from Denpasar on the holiday island of Bali on Sunday evening, the jet reported unusual variations in altitude and airspeed in the first several minutes of flight - including an 875-foot drop over 27 seconds when it would normally be ascending - before stabilising and flying on to Jakarta. However, the pilots kept the plane at a maximum altitude of 28,000 feet compared with 36,000 feet on the same route earlier in the week.
Lion Air CEO Edward Sirait told reporters on Monday a technical problem had occurred on the Denpasar-Jakarta flight but it had been resolved "according to procedure". (Reuters)
Distraught family members struggled to comprehend the sudden loss of loved ones in the crash of a plane with experienced pilots in fine weather. "This is a very difficult time for our family,'' said Leo Sihombing, outside a crisis center set up for family members at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport.
"We know that it is very unlikely that my cousin is still alive, but no one can provide any certainty or explanation,'' he said as other family members wept and hugged each other. "What we hope now is rescuers can find his body, so we can bury him properly, and authorities can reveal what caused the plane crash,'' Sihombing said.
More than 800 people from multiple agencies are involved in the search, which was Tuesday expanded to a 10 nautical mile area. Specialist ships and remotely operated underwater vehicles have been deployed to search for the plane's hull and flight recorders.
Search and Rescue Agency chief Muhammad Syaugi said search teams are going ``all out'' to locate the aircraft's fuselage.
He has said he's certain it won't take long to locate the hull of the aircraft and its flight recorders due to the relatively shallow 30 meter (115 foot) depth of the waters where it crashed.
Two passengers on the plane's previous flight from Bali to Jakarta on Sunday have described issues that caused frustration and alarm. Alon Soetanto told TVOne the plane dropped suddenly several times in the first few minutes of its flight. "About three to eight minutes after it took off, I felt like the plane was losing power and unable to rise. That happened several times during the flight,'' he said. "We felt like in a roller coaster. Some passengers began to panic and vomit.''
His account is consistent with data from flight-tracking sites that show erratic speed, altitude and direction in the minutes after the Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet took off. A similar pattern is also seen in data pinged from Monday's fatal flight. Safety experts cautioned, however, that the data must be checked for accuracy against the plane's so-called black boxes, which officials are confident will be recovered.
In a detailed post online, Indonesian TV presenter Conchita Caroline said boarding of Sunday's flight was delayed by more than an hour and when the plane was being towed, a technical problem forced it to return to its parking space.
She said passengers sat in the cabin without air conditioning for at least 30 minutes listening to an ``unusual'' engine roar, while some children vomited from the overbearing heat, until staff faced with rising anger let them disembark.
After about 30 minutes of passengers waiting on the tarmac, they were told to board again while an engine was checked. Caroline said she queried a staff member but was met with a defensive response. "He just showed me the flight permit that he had signed and he said the problem had been settled,'' she said. "He treated me like a passenger full of disturbing dramas even though what I was asking represented friends and confused tourists who didn't understand Indonesian.''
(AP)
The US has extended its deepest condolences for the victims of Lion Air flight that crashed on Monday. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Indonesia in this time of sorrow. Preparations are underway to assist the Indonesian government in its investigation of this tragic accident," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said. "The Unites States extends its deepest condolences to those who lost family and loved ones in the October 29 plane crash in Indonesia," she said in a statement.
Search and rescue personnel worked through the night to find victims of the Lion Air plane crash in Indonesia, sending 24 body bags to identification experts as the airline flew dozens of grieving relatives to the country's capital. The National Search and Rescue Agency said Tuesday that 10 intact bodies, as well as body parts, had been recovered. -AP
Indian pilot Bhavye Suneja flew the Lion Air aircraft that went down on Monday. At his parents’ house in Delhi’s Mayur Vihar-I, friends and family gathered through the morning as news of the crash spread – some who saw Bhavye grow up, others who grew up with him and remember him as someone they went to Karate or coaching classes with. At 5:30 pm, Suneja’s parents Sangeeta and Gulshan, and his younger sister Ruhani left for the airport, to board a flight to Jakarta. “Pray for us,” is all that Sangeeta said before leaving. Read more
More than 24 hours after the crash, rescue operations are still underway in Indonesia. Relatives and friends wept, prayed and hugged each other as they waited at Jakarta's airport and at Pangkal Pinang's airport on Bangka island off Sumatra where the flight was headed. Some including Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani headed to the search and rescue agency's headquarters in Jakarta for information. About 20 ministry staff were on the flight.
More than 24 hours after the crash, rescue operations are still underway in Indonesia. Relatives and friends wept, prayed and hugged each other as they waited at Jakarta's airport and at Pangkal Pinang's airport on Bangka island off Sumatra where the flight was headed. Some including Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani headed to the search and rescue agency's headquarters in Jakarta for information. About 20 ministry staff were on the flight.
Rescuers in inflatable boats retrieved human remains, pieces of aircraft and personal belongings from the Java Sea. The disaster is a setback for Indonesia's airline industry, which just emerged from decadelong bans by the European Union and the U.S. over safety concerns.
Relatives and friends wept, prayed and hugged each other as they waited at Jakarta's airport and at Pangkal Pinang's airport on Bangka island off Sumatra where the flight was headed.
Agency spokesman is constantly tweeting about hoax videos and photos doing rounds on social media and warns people from believing them.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane was delivered in August and had 800 hours of flying time. It sank in waters about 30 to 35 metres depth, north of the coast of Java island. The aircraft was declared operationally feasible, the airline statement said. Preliminary flight tracking data from the Flightradar website, which tracks air traffic in real time from all around the world, showed the aircraft climbed to around 5,000 feet before losing, and then regaining, height, before finally falling towards the sea. It was last recorded at 3,650 feet and its speed had increased to 345 knots, the website showed.
Rescue workers have retrieved six bodies from the sea where an Indonesian passenger plane crashed close to the capital Jakarta on Monday 13 minutes after takeoff, according to a CNN report. The recovered bodies have been taken to a hospital in East Jakarta, said Bambang Suryo Aji, director of operations for Basarnas, the national search and rescue agency.
The European Commission says it has no immediate plans to ban Indonesian airline Lion Air again after one of its planes crashed into the sea off Jakarta. Commission spokesman Enrico Brivio said Monday that there "have been no indications that the safety levels at Lion Air or the safety oversight in Indonesia'' were deteriorating. Brivio says the commission will analyze the results of the investigation into Monday's crash.
Australia's foreign affairs ministry says Australian government officials and contractors "have been instructed not to fly on Lion Air or their subsidiary airlines" following today's Lion Air plane crash. The statement posted on the ministry's website said the decision will be reviewed when the findings of the crash investigation are clear. It said its overall level of travel advice for Indonesia was unchanged from its recommendation to exercise a high degree of caution.
The crash is the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since an AirAsia flight from Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the sea in December 2014, killing all 162 on board, according to AP. Indonesian airlines were barred in 2007 from flying to Europe because of safety concerns, though several were allowed to resume services in the following decade. The ban was completely lifted in June this year. The U.S. lifted a decade-long ban in 2016.
Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani arrived at the search agency headquarters and met with its chief, seeking information about 20 ministry staff who were on the flight after attending a ministry event in Jakarta. The search and rescue agency said the flight ended in waters off West Java that are 30 to 35 meters (98 to 115 feet) deep.
Disaster agency spokesman warns people to not spread false news, clears stand that no photos or videos available from the Lion Air flight that crashed today morning.
As rescue operations are underway, officials say that the exact location of the wreck still remains unidentified.
The Indian embassy in Jakarta confirms death of pilot Bhavye Suneja in Indonesia Plane crash. Suneja who hailed from Delhi, according to his LinkedIn profile was employed with Lion Air since 2011 and had accumulated more than 6,000 flying hours, says an official statement from Lion Air. He resided in Jakarta with his wife. Read more
Indonesian aviation and transport safety officials say that the plane carrying 189 people had been cleared by air traffic controllers to return to Jakarta's airport following a request from its pilot about two to three minutes after takeoff. Novie Riyanto, the head of AirNav, which manages air traffic in Indonesia, said the pilot made an "RTB'' or return to base request "just two or three minutes after it took off and the ATC has approved.''
The rescue officials have no information on any survivors and said human remains have been found near the crash site. Ambulances were lined up at Karawang, on the coast east of Jakarta and police were preparing rubber dinghies, a Reuters reporter said. Fishing boats were being used to help search. If all aboard have died, the crash would be the country's second-worst air disaster since 1997, industry experts said.
* Lion Air crashed minutes after it took off from Jakarta on Monday morning
* 189 people - 181 passengers, six crew members, Indian pilot and a co-pilot - were aboard the flight
* Flight was travelling from Jakarta to the city of Pangkal Pinang
* No information on casualties and survivors as of now
* Boeing expressed "heartfelt sympathies" to the families of all those on board the carrier
* The same plane had a technical glitch during its previous flight
* The plane was a new model – a Boeing 737 MAX 8 – and had only been in use for 2 months
* Debris of plane, personal items found floating in the sea
* The pilot sought a return to the airport shortly before the crash
* Officials looking for cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to help determine the cause
Apart from Suneja and Harvino, the plane's cabin crew included Shintia Melina, Citra Noivita Anggelia, Alviani Hidayatul Solikha, Damayanti Simarmata, Mery Yulianda, and Deny Maula. Three of the flight attendants were being trained and one was a technician. Lion Air said in a statement.
Families are turning up at Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency headquarters in Jakarta for word of their loved ones after a Lion Air plane crashed at sea.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo says he has ordered the National Commission for Transportation Safety to investigate crash of a Lion Air plane. He said rescuers are making their best efforts to find victims and urged Indonesians ``to keep on praying.''
Widodo, speaking in Bali where he was attending a conference, said he feels the anxiety of families and hopes they can remain calm while rescuers are working hard at the crash location at sea northeast of Jakarta.
Boeing Airlines, in a statement, expressed "heartfelt sympathies" to the families of all those on board the Lion Air carrier. Adding that it was "deeply saddened" by the mishap, the company said it will "provide technical assistance to the accident investigation."
The ill-fated Indonesian plane had a technical glitch during its previous flight, Lion Air CEO said. "This plane previously flew from Denpasar to Cengkareng (Jakarta). There was a report of a technical issue which had been resolved according to procedure," Edward Sirait told reporters, declining to specify the nature of the technical issue. He said Lion has operated 11 aircraft of the same model, the Boeing 737 Max 8, and the other planes did not have the same technical problem. Sirait said there was no plan to ground the rest of its Boeing 737 Max 8 fleet.
Items such as handphones and life vests were found in waters about 30 metres to 35 metres (98 to 115 ft) deep near where the plane, identified by air tracking service Flightradar 24 as a Boeing 737 MAX 8, lost contact.
The National Search and Rescue Agency's deputy chief, Nugroho Budi Wiryanto, said some 300 people including soldiers, police and local fishermen are involved in the search and that so far it has recovered no bodies _ only ID cards, personal belongings and aircraft debris.
India's Bhavye Suneja was flying the Lion Air flight that crashed into Indonesian seas earlt Monday morning. According to Suneja’s LinkedIn profile, he belongs to New Delhi and is associated with the airline since March 2011. He had received his pilot licence from Bel Air International in 2009. LionAir in a statement said Suneja had more than 6,000 flying hours, while the co-pilot had amassed more than 5,000 hours of flying time. Read more
The crash is the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since an AirAsia flight from Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the sea in December 2014, killing all 162 on board.
Among the 189 on board, 181 were passengers, including one child and two babies, six crew members and two pilots. In a statement. Lion Air, said the plane's pilot and co-pilot had together amassed 11,000 hours of flying time
Indonesian TV showed dozens of people waiting anxiously outside the Pangkal Pinang airport and officials bringing out plastic chairs. The transport ministry said crisis centers have been set up Pangkal Pinang's airport and Jakarta's Soekarno Hatta airport.
(Source: Reuters)
Lion Air aircraft had requested to return to base shortly before losing contact, Yohanes Sirait, a spokesman for the country's air navigation authorities said, reported Reuters. "The (traffic) control allowed that, but then it lost contact," Sirait added.
(Source: AP)
An official of Indonesia's safety transport committee said he could not confirm the cause of the crash, which would have to wait until the recovery of the plane's black boxes, as the cockpit voice recorder and data flight recorder are known. "We will collect all data from the control tower," said Soerjanto Tjahjono. "The plane is so modern, it transmits data from the plane and that we will review too. But the most important is the blackbox."
Lion Air in a statement said the plane's pilot and co-pilot had together amassed 11,000 hours of flying time
The Indonesian authorities released helpline numbers where information of passengers can be accessed. The crisis centre can be contacted at 021-80820000 and 021-80820002. Lion Air's Corporate Communication officer can be reached at + 62 8788 033 3170
Preliminary flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft climbed to around 5,000 feet (1,524 m) before losing, and then regaining, height, before finally falling towards the sea. It was last recorded at 3,650 feet (1,113 m) and its speed had risen to 345 knots, according to raw data captured by the respected tracking website, which could not immediately be confirmed. Its last recorded position was about 15 km (9 miles) north of the Indonesian coastline, according to a Google Maps reference of the last coordinates reported by Flightradar24.
- Reuters
Planemaker Boeing said in a tweet that it was aware of reports of an airplane accident and it was "closely monitoring" the situation.
Wreckage had been found near where the Lion Air plane lost contact with air traffic officials on the ground, said Muhmmad Syaugi, the head of the search and rescue agency. "We don't know yet whether there are any survivors," Syaugi told a news conference. "We hope, we pray, but we cannot confirm."
Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho posted photos on Twitter of debris including a crushed smartphone, books, bags and parts of the aircraft fuselage that had been collected by search and rescue vessels that have converged on the area.
The plane was delivered to Lion King by Boeing in August this year. According to the Boeing website, the total passenger carrying capacity of the plane is 210 seats. A news conference would be held later on Monday, Edward Sirait, chief executive of Lion Air Group told Reuters.
Lion Air, earlier this year, had its safety ranking upgraded to the highest level after Indonesia passed a key international audit, its official website says. The upgrade is the result of a new audit of Indonesia’s compliance with the eight categories in the International Civil Aviation Organization Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP). These include Operations, Airworthiness, Accident Investigation, Aerodromes, Organization, Legislation, Air Navigation Services and Licensing.
Apart from Lion Air, Garuda Indonesia, and Batik Air were also upgraded. All three airlines have also completed the International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), which is conducted every two years.
Lion Air is one of Indonesia's youngest and biggest airlines, flying to dozens of domestic and international destinations. The accident is the first to be reported that involves the widely-sold Boeing 737 MAX, an updated, more fuel-efficient version of the manufacturer's workhorse single-aisle jet. The first Boeing 737 MAX jets were introduced into service in 2017.