Lion Air passenger jet crashes into sea off Bali | Company data
(The Insider Stories) — A Boeing aircraft operated by Indonesia’s largest airline crashed into shallow water just off the runway of the main airport on the resort island of Bali Saturday afternoon, with all 101 passengers and seven crew members surviving the incident, which raises concerns in a country that has seen improvements in the last few years to a reprehensible air safety record and could be a risk to the reputation of one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines.
The aircraft, which originated from the city of Bandung in West Java, was smoothly evacuated after crashing at around 3:00 p.m., and while 22 people were injured though there were no fatalities, Lion Air spokesman Edward Sirait is quoted as saying by wire services. Initial investigations are focusing on the theory of wind shear or a “microburst” downdraft from storm clouds with the pilot saying he felt the jetliner “dragged” downward from around 200 feet while seeking to perform a go-around in heavy rain. Capt. Mahlub Gozali has been suspended for two weeks as standard operating procedure, while he and his copilot passed initial drug and alcohol tests, with further tests pending. Investigators have indicated the flight proceeded as normal until as late as the last two minutes, before the plane dipped and undershot on approach — normally not a major safety hazard for an airliner. Wind shear is believed to have been a factor in the 1985 Delta Airlines Flight 191 crash that killed 134 passengers and crew, after which safety measures were stepped up. The cockpit voice recorder may be recovered as early as Monday and the transport ministry says it expects the investigation to conclude in as little as a month, with initial indications are that the runway was covered with rain, though it doesn’t speculate further.
Lion Air has been bulking up its fleet with record orders for hundreds of new planes in the last few months as it seeks to become one of the world’s biggest airlines by serving Indonesia’s fast-growing middle class and other Southeast Asian consumers. Airbus reached a deal in March to supply Lion Air with 234 jetliners, an order that would carry a list price of $24 billion, though big buyers often receive hefty discounts, according to wire services. It made a similarly giant order with Boeing Co. last year. Lion Air was one of several Indonesian airlines banned by the EU in 2007 after several safety incidents in the country. Indonesia was downgraded to safety category two by the FAA the same year, although safety incidents have fallen sharply in the last couple of years.
Lion Air has suffered several safety incidents in the last 10 years, the most serious of which was a 2004 crash in Central Java in which 24 people died, however it has a relatively good safety record and has improved its image in recent years. The travel entrepreneur family that started the airline likely won’t be seriously deterred from their amitious expansion plans, but will need to step up safety procedures in order to regain consumer confidence and avoid losing market share to competitors like low-cost Air Asia Indonesia.
Denpasar is one of Indonesia’s busiest airports as it is the main gateway serving 2 million international tourists that visit Bali each year. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono via his @SBYudhoyono account ordered the transport minister to investigate the accident. Herry Bakti, the director general of civil aviation at the transport ministry, said the National Committee for Transportation Safety (KNKT) will evaluate the crash.
