INDONESIAN JET FLEW ERRATICALLY DAY BEFORE
The Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 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 a 266.7-meter drop over 27 seconds when it would normally be ascending—before stabilizing and flying on to Jakarta.
Technical problem
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.”
Two of that flight’s passengers posted on Instagram, reporting that they had been concerned about problems with the air conditioning system and cabin lighting before the plane departed nearly three hours late.
“I was angry because as a passenger who had paid her ticket, we have every right to question the aircraft’s safety,” said one of them, TV presenter Conchita Caroline.
Weird engine noise
Caroline added there was a “weird” engine noise upon takeoff that continued during flight.
It was not clear if the cabin problems were in any way related to the technical trouble mentioned by the airline’s CEO.