Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX

BREAKING: Lion Air Boeing 737 crashes into sea

Aaron Hilsz-Lothian·
737 MAXAviation NewsBoeingLion Air

BREAKING: Lion Air Boeing 737 crashes into sea

A Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating flight JT610 from Jakarta has crashed into the Java Sea during its departure sequence.

The aircraft, registered PK-LQP, is a two-month old frame within the airline, having being delivered in August. 189 people have been confirmed by the airline during a press conference to be deceased. 181 were passengers and eight were crew members.

Since the aircraft was delivered in early August, it had performed approximately 800 hours of flight time.

Flight data from services such as Flight Radar 24 as well as air traffic control radar indicates contact was lost only 13 minutes into the flight. Looking at altitude and speed graphs, it appears as if the aircraft dived into the ocean after losing and regaining height multiple times. The final recording displays the aircraft flying at 3650 feet at a speed of 345 knots.

A tugboat driver in the area at the time has reported seeing an aircraft plunge into the sea but as always, confirmations and reports have to outline this fact.

Rescue operations are currently underway and amateur video has captured the aircraft well underwater. Parts of aircraft, including panels, seats, baggage and personal belongings such as phones and wallets have been hauled onto large boats to be bagged and taken away to a secure location. Additionally, the recovery of multiple bodies has been underway.

Boeing has announced on social media and through press documents that they are aware of the incident and are looking further into it. Indonesian authorities are helping rescue teams as well as airport and airline staff deal with the incident in an appropriate manner.

According to the airline, a technical problem was experienced during the departure sequence, prompting the crew to return to Jakarta. A problem had been experienced on the previous flight operated by the aircraft but had been reported as fixed within the maintenance log book. This problem outlined the occurrence of unreliable airspeed and altitude, with the first officer being the only side with the correct information.

The following tweet is reportedly the maintenance log book from the flight:

UPDATE: The Indonesian Finance Ministry has stated that 20 of their officials were on this flight.

UPDATE 2: Added in maintenance and previous flight information – last paragraph.

More information is expected to come shortly during public statements from the airline. Expect updates and changes to this article as more information is released.