Boeing urged to examine all Boeing 737 MAX jets following fatal Lion Air crash
Investigators examining the wreckage of the Lion Air jet that plunged into the Java Sea last week, killing all 189 onboard, have urged Boeing and the US authorities to check if there is a problem with airspeed indicators on all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
It has emerged that the doomed Lion Air jet had experienced faulty airspeed readings during its last four fights before the fatal crash on October 29.
As it was a brand new jet, which had only been in service for a few weeks, Indonesian investigators believe it might have come from the factory with the fault.
It asked authorities ‘to take necessary steps to prevent similar incidents, especially on the Boeing 737 Max, of which there are 200 in operation all over the world.
Investigators from Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee were able to access the flight data recorder to check airspeed data from the previous flights.
However, they have still have not discovered if it had any bearing on the deadly crash, which happened just minutes after take off. Safety analysts said faulty airspeed readings alone would not necessarily result in a crash.
The second black box which records pilot voice data has still not been recovered from the sea bed. Only when that is accessed will a clear picture be given of what happen immediately before the crash.
"We have said there’s a technical problem but we also want to know what they were discussing in the cockpit and what they were doing," said Soerjanto Tjahjono, chief of the NTSC. "Cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder are both important to reveal the truth in this case."
Airspeed was reported faulty on the previous flight from Denpasar, Bali to Jakarta but the crew was given the all-clear to resume flying after a maintenance check.
The transport ministry ordered a review of Lion Air’s maintenance unit and has already suspended several maintenance managers until the investigation is complete.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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