An Indonesian airline based Boeing 737 disappeared from the radar right after taking off. The Sriwijaya airplane is feared to have crashed into the sea with 62 passengers on board. According to various flight tracker website, the airplane dropped more than 3,000m in the time of less than a minute. So far, some witnesses and local fishermen have confirmed that they heard the blast and saw the plane crashing into the sea.
Currently, the rescue time is on-site, and the search is still going on. However, the plane is expected to be crashed around Laki Island, which is 20kms away from the domestic airport. The Basarnas Rescue Agency has already sent a team to help search for the victims after the crash of Sriwijaya Air SJ 182.
The Indonesian Transport Safety Committee also confirmed that all passengers on board were Indonesian. Apart from this, the Indonesian Navy is also searching for the missing aircraft and passengers. But, so far, there’s still no report about any survivors.
The concern with Boeing 737 Family
This Boeing 737-500 jet is much older than Boeing 737 MAX, which has many concerning issues in its system. In 2018, one such Boeing 737 MAX crashed off in Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board.
The mystery continues as the plane headed in a northwest direction instead of going on its expected flight path. However, there is still no clue about the descent of the plane and then going off route. USA’s National Safety Transportation Board will also investigate this matter because the plane’s manufacturing belongs to the United States.
The Jakarta-based airline, Sriwijaya Air group, has a very decent safety record and no onboard casualties. But, Indonesia’s air safety record overall has not been great. As a matter of fact, the European Union banned all Indonesian airlines in 2007. After lifting the restrictions in 2018, Indonesian officials said they are always working hard to improve their country’s safety records.
