Pilot scoured manual as jet plunged into sea

THE pilots of a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max 8 scrambled through a handbook to understand why the jet was lurching downwards before it crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 189 on board.

Three sources who heard the cockpit recording told Reuters that the first officer reported a “flight control problem” after two minutes.

One source said airspeed was mentioned and a second said an indicator showed a problem on the captain’s display. The captain asked the first officer to check the quick-reference handbook to diagnose the problem.

For the next nine minutes, the jet warned pilots it was in a stall and pushed the nose down in response. The captain fought to climb, but the computer continued to push the nose down, using trim, which usually adjusts control surfaces to ensure a plane flies straight and level.

Details of its last moments on Oct 29 emerged as reports showed the very same aircraft was saved from disaster the day before when an off-duty pilot rushed to the cockpit as the controls went haywire during a flight from Bali to Jakarta.

Two sources familiar with Indonesia’s crash investigation told Bloomberg how he showed the crew how to disable a malfunctioning system and cut power to the motor, so saving the plane.

Earlier this month, another Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed in Ethiopia, killing all 157 passengers and crew.