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An Indonesian Lion Air jet that plunged into the Java Sea last week, killing 189 passengers on board, had an airspeed indicator during its fatal flight and when of three previous trips, announced Monday the transport watchdog of the country.
The new details – collected on a recovered flight data recorder – come after the government announced the launch of a "special audit" of the operations of the budget company.
A week after the disaster, there is still no answer as to the cause of the crash.
Lion – long faced with safety concerns – said that the Boeing 737-Max 8 had suffered a technical problem on the flight just before his fatal accident Monday and that it had been repaired.
But the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) said Monday that the black box data showed that the plane had an airspeed indicator on at least two more previous flights.
"There were four flights in all that had a problem with the speedometer," Soerjanto Tjahjono, chairman of NTSC, told the press.
"When there was a problem, the pilot noted it and the mechanic did it (a repair) … Then the plane was declared airworthy."
The agency said it would look for the cause of the indicator problem and whether proper repairs have been made, including replacement of the defective component, he added.
He did not give more details and did not speculate on how the problem of the indicator could have played a role in the accident, as he continued to operate the flight recorder – considered a key element to answer why an almost new plane had fallen from the sky. .
– "Special audit" –
The fact that Lion admitted earlier that the jet posed a technical problem – and the captain 's request to return to the airport a few minutes before the accident – raised questions as to whether it was safe. There were defects unique to one of the newest and most advanced commercial transport aircraft in the world.
Divers are always looking for the voice recorder from the cockpit of the aircraft.
The JT610 flight accelerated after suddenly losing altitude, then disappeared from the radar 12 minutes after takeoff. Witnesses said that the single aisle jet had plunged into the water.
Lion is regularly the target of complaints about poor service, unreliable planning and security issues, including a fatal crash in 2004.
"We will … conduct a special audit of the crew qualifications and communication with the staff," Budi Karya Sumadi, Minister of Transport, told reporters on Monday when he announced the announcement. opening of a survey on Lion's operations.
"It's a preventative measure … (The accident) is a very expensive lesson for us."
Civil aviation authorities in the United States and Europe were also consulted for their help in the investigation, he added.
At the same time, the authorities continued their search by recovering more body parts and debris from the place where the plane crashed during a routine flight. An hour between Jakarta and Pangkal Pinang.
Dozens of body bags have been collected and tested for DNA, but up to now only 14 people have been identified.
The head of a search and rescue agency, Muhammad Syaugi, apologized on Monday in tears as families demanded stronger and stronger responses, accusations of slower pace of recovery.
"We are not perfect human beings," he said, sobbing. "We have flaws, but we are doing our best."
The Lion Air investigation comes after the Indonesian government ordered the inspection of all Boeing 737 Max 8s in the country.
All were airworthy, although two required repairs for "minor" problems.
The ministry had previously sacked several leaders and technicians of Lion Air, claiming that they were needed to help the authorities in the investigation.
The accident has reemerged concerns about Indonesia's poor air safety record, which, until recently, banned its airlines from entering the space of the European Union and the United States.
