Instrument fail cited in jet crash

ALL DEAD: PLUNGED INTO SEA SOON AFTER TAKE-OFF

Jet displayed unusual variations in altitude and airspeed, data shows.

Singapore

The Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX jet that crashed in Indonesia on Monday flew erratically the previous night and its airspeed readings were unreliable, according to an accident investigator and a flight tracking website.

Data from FlightRadar24 showed the jet displayed unusual variations in altitude and airspeed within minutes of taking off from Denpasar on Bali on Sunday night, including a 267-metre drop over 27 seconds when it would normally be ascending, before stabilising.

Lion Air CEO Edward Sirait said a technical problem had occurred, but it had been resolved “according to procedure”.

One passenger, TV presenter Conchita Caroline, said there was a “weird” engine noise on take-off that continued in flight.

The Denpasar-Jakarta flight landed at 10.55pm on Sunday, giving engineers six-and-a-half hours for checks before it went on the fatal Jakarta-Pangkal Pinang flight at 6.20am on Monday. The plane plunged into the sea minutes after take-off and all 189 people on board are believed dead.

Sirait said the airline had provided the aircraft flight and maintenance logs to NTSC. NTSC deputy chief Haryo Satmiko said the agency had not yet met with the technician who handled the maintenance of the aircraft between the two flights.

Pilot and engineering sources said the FlightRadar24 data could indicate problems with the pitot static systems – pressure-sensitive instruments that feed airspeed and altitude information to an avionics computer.

Two fishermen at sea said the plane made no noise as it fell, almost horizontal with its nose slightly down. The head of Indonesia’s transport safety committee said the pilots had requested a turnback to Jakarta. – Reuters