Bali plane crash.
Bali plane crash screen-grab from Youtube.
Bali Plane Crash: 101 Passengers on Board
All 101 passengers on-board Lion Air’s Boeing 737-800 did not expect the watery landing that they received upon reaching their destination.
The plane missed its landing at Denpasar airport in Bali and was found snapped in half and sitting in the shallow water 50 metres ahead of the runway.
Bali Plane Crash: Many injured but no fatalities
The flight was on a domestic flight from Bandung in West Java when it crashed at about 3.30pm local time.
Lion Air’s general affairs director, Edward Sirait, said the plane had 95 adults, five children and a baby, with seven crew members on-board the aircraft. All of whom were safely evacuated from the wreckage, some swam to shore while others were rescued in rubber boats.
There were no fatalities among the passengers and seven crew members, but it is reported that there were dozens injured and at least seven with head wounds and broken bones.
According to reports, among the passengers were three foreigners on-board the flight – two Singaporeans and one French national. The three foreigners are said to have suffered minor injuries.
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Plane failed to reach runway
It is being reported that the weather during the incident was cloudy with rain, which later led to the plane crashing about 50 meters ahead of the runway in the water.
“It apparently failed to reach the runway and fell into the sea,” said the spokesman, Edward Sirait.
Under investigation
The National Transportation Safety Committee is in the process of examining the wreckage.
Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said aviation authorities had already removed the plane’s flight data recorder and are planning to tow the aircraft to a beach.
Divers are also searching for the cockpit voice recorder located in the tail, while experts are examining what could have caused the crash. They’re looking in whether wind shear may have played a role.
Six accidents since 2002
This crash marks Lion Air’s sixth accident in 11 years, four of them involving Boeing 737s. This renews questions about the safety of flying in Indonesia.
New plane operational for two months
The plane is said to have been received by the airline last month and was declared airworthy. The aircraft is also said to have landed in two other cities on Saturday prior to the crash.
Because the aircraft was new, Sydney-based aviation expert Tom Ballantyne said a technical or mechanical problem would seem unlikely.
Ballantyne also expressed that it is “a miracle nobody was killed”, saying how the crash could have been much worse if the plane hit deeper water where it could have been quickly submerged.
Bali Plane Crash: Did human error cause the crash?
The aircraft was operated by Captain Gozali who had 10,000 hours of flying experience. However, it is unclear whether human error may have played a role in the accident.
Indonesian aviation analyst Ruth Simatupang, who was a former investigator at the National Safety Transportation Committee, suspects some sort of miscalculation involving the landing.
“Something was obviously wrong with the pilot, and wind shear is a possibility that could lead to an unstable approach,” she said.
Sudden changes in wind speed or direction has the possibility of lifting or smashing the aircraft into the ground during landing.
Pilot and co-pilot grounded
It is reported that the pilot and co-pilot will be grounded for two weeks to undergo tests to ensure that they were healthy during the flight. During this time, they will also be questioned by investigators.
The duo has undergone alcohol and drug testing, and the preliminary results are reported to be negative.
Lion Air has previously had problems with drug use. Three pilots, one co-pilot and a flight attendant have been arrested for illicit drug use in the past two years.
Flying is still the safest way to travel
Flying is 22 times safer than driving your car. And under the slim possibility of a crash, there is a high chance that you will live to tell about it.
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Bali Plane Crash: 6 tips for surviving a plane crash
1) Wear comfortable clothing
Ladies, leave your high heels at home! In the event of a crash landing, high heels make it difficult for you to move about the wreckage. High heels are also not allowed on the evacuation slides. It is recommend for you to wear long pants, a long-sleeve t-shirt, and sturdy, comfortable shoes.
2) Book the right seat
The best seats are seats close to the emergency exits, with aisle seats generally preferable. It is also good to sit at the tail end of the plane because studies have shown that passengers seated at the rear of the aircraft have a 40% higher survival rate than those sitting in the first few rows.
3) Listen to the pre-flight safety speech and read the safety information card
It is important that you pay attention to the pre-flight safety speech and read the safety information card. It is important that you don’t just assume you know it all because each type of airplane has a different set of safety instruction.
4) Protect yourself from smoke inhalation
In plane crashes, fire and smoke is responsible for a large percentage of crash fatalities. The smoke in a plane fire can be very thick and highly toxic, so it’s important to cover your nose and mouth with a cloth to avoid breathing it in. If possible, moisten the cloth to provide extra protection.
5) Get out of the plane
If the plane crashes, it’s important to get out of the plane as quickly as possible. If fire or smoke is present, you will generally have less than two minutes to safely exit the plane.
It is therefore important to:
– Obey the flight attendants’ post-crash instructions.
– Not to rescue any of your belongings.
– Make sure the exit you choose is safe exit
6) Get at least 150 metres away from the wreckage
Although it’s recommended that you stay close to the aircraft if you crash landed in a remote area, it’s best if you do not stay too close. A fire or explosion can happen at any time after a crash, so it’s best to put some distance between you and the plane. If the crash is in open-water, swim as far away from the plane wreckage as possible.
Sources:
Investigators probe cause of Lion Air crash into sea in Bali; all 108 on board survive
Lion Air passenger plane crashes into sea off coast of Bali
How to Survive a Plane Crash
How safe is flying?
