Indonesia: Searchers Locate Black Box Recorders In Crashed Plane

Authorities pinpointed the location of the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from a crashed Indonesian jet on Sunday, items crucial to understanding what actually happened to the aircraft that went down with 62 people on board. Indonesian divers also located parts of the wreckage of a Boeing 737-500 in the Java Sea as rescuers pulled out body parts, pieces of clothing and

scraps of metal from the waters where the Siriwijaya Air flight SJ182 carrying 62 people crashed. There was no sign of survivors. We have located the position of the black boxes, both of them, said Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of Indonesia’s transport safety agency. Divers will start looking for them now and hopefully soon we can lift them up for the National Transportation Safety

Committee to investigate and find out the cause of the crash. Divers recovered parts of the plane about 23 metres 75 feet below the water’s surface, the transport ministry said in a statement, citing Indonesia’s military chief. Indonesian Armed Forces chief Hadi Tjahjanto said the objects recovered included broken pieces of fuselage with aircraft registration parts. We are sure

that is the point where the plane crashed, he said in the statement, expressing hope that weather conditions and the view under the sea are still good so that we can continue the search on Sunday. Indonesia’s chequered air safety record is again in the spotlight after the plane went down. Before the crash there had been 697 fatalities in Indonesia over the last decade including military and private planes, making it the deadliest

aviation market in the world ahead of Russia, Iran and Pakistan according to Aviation Safety Network’s database. The break in the search for Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 came after sonar equipment on a navy ship detected a signal from the aircraft at a location that fit the coordinates from the last contact made by the pilots before the plane went missing on Saturday. The plane headed to Pontianak in West Kalimantan crashed shortly after takeoff from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. It is still unclear what caused the crash.

Indonesian Navy divers hold wreckage from Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 during a search and rescue operation at sea near Lancang island on Sunday

I represent the government and all Indonesians in expressing my deep condolences for this tragedy, President Joko Widodo said. We are doing our best to save the victims. We pray together so that the victims can be found. The nearly 27 year old aircraft was much older than Boeing’s problem plagued 737 MAX model

one of which crashed off Jakarta in late 2018, killing all 189 people on board the Lion Air flight. Older 737 models are widely flown and do not have the system implicated in the MAX safety crisis. We are in contact with our airline customer and stand ready to support them during this difficult time, Boeing said in statement thoughts are with the crew, passengers and their families.

An Indonesian soldier walks past a map showing the location where a Sriwijaya Air passenger jet lost contact with air traffic controllers shortly after taking off

Explosion reported

Fishermen in the area around the Thousand Islands, a chain of islands north of Jakarta’s coast, reported hearing an explosion about 2:30pm 07:30 GMT on Saturday. We heard something explode; we thought it was a bomb or a tsunami since after that we saw the big splash from the water, fisherman Solihin who goes

by one name told told the media by phone. It was raining heavily and the weather was so bad. So, it is difficult to see around clearly. But we can see the splash and a big wave after the sounds. We were very shocked and directly saw the plane debris and the fuel around our boat. Authorities established two crisis centres, one

at the airport and one at the port. Families gathered to wait for news of loved ones. The 62 people on board included seven children and three babies. I have four family members on the flight - my wife and three children, Yaman Zai said as he waited at the Pontianak airport on Saturday night. [My wife] sent me a picture of the baby today...How could my heart not be torn into pieces? he said as he sobbed.

Relatives of passengers arrive at a crisis centre set up following a report that a Sriwijaya Air passenger jet has lost contact with air traffic controllers

On social media, people began circulating the flight manifesto with photos and videos of those who were listed as passengers. One video shows a woman with her children waving goodbye while walking through the airport. Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said Flight SJ182 was delayed for an hour before it took off at 2:36pm 07:36 GMT. It disappeared from radar four

minutes later, after the pilot contacted air traffic control to ascend to an altitude of 29,000 feet 8,839 metres, he said. Sriwijaya Air President Director Jefferson Irwin Jauwena said the plane, which was previously used by airlines in the United States, was airworthy. He told reporters on Saturday that the plane had previously flown to Pontianak and Pangkal Pinang city on the

same day. Maintenance report said everything went well and airworthy, Jauwena told a news conference. He said the plane was delayed due to bad weather, not because of any damage. Founded in 2003, the Jakarta-based Sriwijaya Air group flies largely within Indonesia. The budget airline has had a solid safety record, with no on-board casualties in four incidents recorded on the

Aviation Safety Network database. The European Union banned all Indonesian airlines in 2007 following a series of crashes and reports of deteriorating oversight and maintenance since deregulation in the late 1990s. The restrictions were fully lifted in 2018. Between 2007 and 2016, the United States Federal Aviation Administration lowered its Indonesia safety evaluation to Category 2, meaning its regulatory system was inadequate.