Investigators say Lion Air jet was airworthy at time of crash
251 views · Published 4 December 2018 · 1:29 · Indexed 29 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(29 Nov 2018) An Indonesian plane that crashed a month ago, killing 189 people, was deemed airworthy when it made its final takeoff from Jakarta, crash investigators said Thursday. The statement was aimed at clarifying comments made at a news conference the day before, where some media reported the investigators had said the Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was not airworthy when it took off. The NTSC (National Transportation Safety Commission) and the Head of Aviation Communication never stated that Lion Air Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, registered PK-LQP, was not airworthy," said investigator Nurcahyo Utomo. The issue of airworthiness is crucial because of concerns over technical issues with the new Boeing 737 MAX that crashed and questions over the airline's safety procedures. Black box data showed the pilots fought against an automated system that pitched the plane's nose down repeatedly because of a faulty sensor until they finally lost control. Everyone aboard the flight between the Indonesian capital of Jakarta and a regional airport died in the disaster. On Wednesday, Utomo said the plane had experienced technical problems on four of the six flights before it crashed. On its penultimate flight, as during the final one, pilots struggled to prevent an automatic safety feature from forcing the nose of the aircraft down due to problems with its sensors. Utomo said that based on maintenance records, flight engineers had made repairs and run tests. "On land, it is the engineer's responsibility to state if an aircraft is airworthy. But when the aircraft is in the air, it is the pilot's responsibility," Utomo said. "The signature for the aircraft maintenance states that the (engineer's) statement of airworthiness expires when the aircraft experiences technical problems in the air, and the plane then ceases to be airworthy," he added. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/9aa74238388564109e7762a579911961
