Indonesia is working to recover data from the crashed plane's black box (Photo: www.riauredaksi.com)Hanoi (VNA) - Indonesia’s National Transportation SafetyCommittee (NTSC) said on November 5 that a Lion Air plane that crashed into theJava Sea last week, killing all 189 onboard, had an air speed indicator problemon its fatal flight and on three previous journeys.
According to the NTSC, the black box data showed the plane had an airspeed indicator issue on at least two other earlier flights before the Boeing737 MAX 8 met with the accident on October 29.
"There were four flights in all that suffered a problem with theairspeed indicator," NTSC head Soerjanto Tjahjono told reporters.
When there was a problem, the pilot would write it down and the mechanicwould do a repair and then the plane would be declared airworthy, he added.
The agency said it would probe what caused the indicator problem and whetherproper repairs were done, including replacing the faulty component.
But, it did not give more details and did not speculate on how theindicator problem may have played a role in the crash, as it continues to minethe flight recorder - seen as key to answering why a nearly brand new planefell out of the sky.
Earlier the same day, Indonesian Minister of Transport Budi Karya Sumadiannounced that authorities plan to launch a special investigation into LionAir's operations after its flight JT610 crashed last week.
The authorities will conduct a special audit of the crews' qualificationsand staff communication, he told reporters, adding that this is a preventativemeasure and the accident is a very expensive lesson.
A week after the disaster, there is still no answer as to what causedthe accident. Meanwhile, authoritieshave extended their search as they collect more body parts and shattered debrisfrom the spot where the plane crashed.
Scores of body bags filled with remains have been collected and sent forDNA testing, but so far just 14 people have been identified.
Divers have pulled the plane's flight data recorder from the water, butare still hunting for the cockpit voice recorder, a key device that couldprovide clues to what caused the almost brand-new plane to plunge into the sea.
The jet, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was en route from Jakarta to Pangkakpinangin Bangka Belitung province off Sumatra island. It lost contact with airtraffic control just 12 minutes after takeoff.
The incident was reported to be the first major accident involving a Boeing737 Max – an updated version of the 737.
The Lion Air crash was the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since1997, when 234 people died after a Garuda flight crashed near Medan.–VNA
According to the NTSC, the black box data showed the plane had an airspeed indicator issue on at least two other earlier flights before the Boeing737 MAX 8 met with the accident on October 29.
"There were four flights in all that suffered a problem with theairspeed indicator," NTSC head Soerjanto Tjahjono told reporters.
When there was a problem, the pilot would write it down and the mechanicwould do a repair and then the plane would be declared airworthy, he added.
The agency said it would probe what caused the indicator problem and whetherproper repairs were done, including replacing the faulty component.
But, it did not give more details and did not speculate on how theindicator problem may have played a role in the crash, as it continues to minethe flight recorder - seen as key to answering why a nearly brand new planefell out of the sky.
Earlier the same day, Indonesian Minister of Transport Budi Karya Sumadiannounced that authorities plan to launch a special investigation into LionAir's operations after its flight JT610 crashed last week.
The authorities will conduct a special audit of the crews' qualificationsand staff communication, he told reporters, adding that this is a preventativemeasure and the accident is a very expensive lesson.
A week after the disaster, there is still no answer as to what causedthe accident. Meanwhile, authoritieshave extended their search as they collect more body parts and shattered debrisfrom the spot where the plane crashed.
Scores of body bags filled with remains have been collected and sent forDNA testing, but so far just 14 people have been identified.
Divers have pulled the plane's flight data recorder from the water, butare still hunting for the cockpit voice recorder, a key device that couldprovide clues to what caused the almost brand-new plane to plunge into the sea.
The jet, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was en route from Jakarta to Pangkakpinangin Bangka Belitung province off Sumatra island. It lost contact with airtraffic control just 12 minutes after takeoff.
The incident was reported to be the first major accident involving a Boeing737 Max – an updated version of the 737.
The Lion Air crash was the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since1997, when 234 people died after a Garuda flight crashed near Medan.–VNA
VNA
