Lion Air Update: Authorities hit back at Australian ban, black box found

Lion Air Update: Authorities hit back at Australian ban, black box found
By Alexandra Coulton


One of two black boxes from the doomed Lion Air flight that crashed into the sea on Monday, killing nearly 200 people, has been found.

See also: “My prediction is nobody saved, all dead”: 189 people feared dead after Lion AIr flight plunges into the sea

Indonesian Authorities said the contents would be kept secret while the National Safety Commission investigates the crash, but have indicated they believe it was the flight data recorder that was found, not the cockpit voice recorder, according to Fairfax. 

Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the most likely reasons for the crash were “human error or the plane itself”.

It has also been reported that another Lion Air pilot who flew the 737 the day before it crashed had requested to turn back to Bali, citing a technical problem.

Reuters reports airport authorities have confirmed the pilot then updated the control tower to say the plane was flying normally and he would not return as requested.

The airline’s CEO confirmed there was a technical problem earlier this week on the Denpensar-Jakarta flight but said it has been resolved “according to procedure”.

Source: AP

Flight Data recorder, source: AP

Brudi said Indonesia would strengthen safety checks and hit back at the Australian government for banning civil servants and contractors from flying with Lion Air.

“We will review all flight regulations. For all airlines. Likely we will tighten up the regulations,” he said, according to Fairfax.

“It is up to other countries to determine that … [but] Indonesia is a country with not just some random safety qualifications, we receive qualification from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and EU (European Union) and ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation).

“So, if I am not mistaken, only the Australian Ministry of Trade issued the ban. We need to correct that, we are confident we are not just randomly [safety] qualified.”

The crash, which killed all 189 people on board was the worst airline disaster in Indonesia in more than 20 years, sparking fresh concerns about the country’s fast-growing aviation industry which was only just removed from EU and US blacklists, according to the ABC.

Featured image source: AP

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