JAKARTA:A jet carrying 62 people lost contact with air traffic controllers minutes after taking off from Indonesia's capital on a domestic flight on Saturday, and debris found by fishermen was being examined to see if it was from the missing plane, officials said.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said Sriwijaya Air's Flight SJ182 was delayed for an hour before it took off at 2:36 p.m. The Boeing 737-500 disappeared from radar four minutes later, after the pilot contacted air traffic control to ascend to an altitude of 29,000 feet (8,839 meters), he said.
The airline said in a statement that the plane was on an estimated 90-minute flight from Jakarta to Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province on Indonesia’s Borneo island. The plane was carrying 50 passengers and 12 crew members, all Indonesian nationals, including six extra crew for another trip.
Sumadi said a dozen vessels, including four warships, were deployed in a search-and-rescue operation centered between Lancang island and Laki island, part of the Thousand Islands chain just north of Jakarta.
Bambang Suryo Aji, the National Search and Rescue Agency’s deputy head of operations and preparedness, said rescuers collected plane debris and clothes that were found by fishermen. They handed the items over to the National Transportation Safety Committee for further investigation to determine whether they were from the missing plane.
A commander of one of the search-and-rescue ships who goes by a single name, Eko, said that fishermen found cables and pieces of metal in the water.
“The fishermen told us that they found them shortly after they heard an explosion like the sound of thunder,” Eko was quoted by TVOne as saying, adding that aviation fuel was found in the location where the fishermen found the debris.
Aji said no radio beacon signal had been detected from the 26-year-old plane. He said his agency was investigating why the plane's emergency locator transmitter, or ELT, was not transmitting a signal that could confirm whether it had crashed.
“The satellite system owned by neighboring Australia also did not pick up on the ELT signal from the missing plane,” Aji said.
Solihin, 22, a fisherman from Lancang Island, said he and two other fishermen heard an explosion around 30 meters from them.
“We thought it was a bomb or a tsunami since after that we saw the big splash from the water after the explosion. It was raining heavily and the weather was so bad. So, it is difficult to see around clearly. But we can see the splash and a big wave after the sounds. We were very shocked and directly saw the plane debris and the fuel around our boat,” he said.
Tracking service Flightradar24 said on its Twitter feed that Flight SJ182 lost more than 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) of altitude in less than a minute, about four minutes after takeoff.
Sriwijaya Air President Director Jefferson Irwin Jauwena said the plane was airworthy. He told reporters that the plane had previously flown to Pontianak and Pangkal Pinang city on the same day.
“Maintenance report said everything went well and airworthy,” Jauwena told a news conference. He said the plane was delayed due to bad weather, not because of any damage.
It was raining at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport when the plane took off for Pontianak, around 740 kilometers (460 miles) away.
Television footage showed relatives and friends of people aboard the plane weeping, praying and hugging each other as they waited at airports in Jakarta and Pontianak.
Chicago-based Boeing said on its Twitter feed that it was aware of the incident. It said it was closely monitoring the situation and “working to gather more information.”
The twin-engine, single aisle Boeing 737 is one of the world’s most popular planes for short and medium-haul flights. The 737-500 is a shorter version of the widely used 737 model. Airlines began using this type of plane in the 1990s, with production ending two decades ago.
Federal Aviation Administration records indicate the plane that lost contact Saturday was first used by Continental Airlines in 1994. The registration switched briefly to United Airlines after the two merged, then it was sold to the Indonesian airline, which started using it in 2012.
Sriwijaya Air began operations in 2003 and flies to more than 50 destinations in Indonesia and a handful of nearby countries, according to its website. Its fleet includes a variety of 737 variants as well as the regional ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop plane.
The airline has had a solid safety record until now, with no onboard casualties in four incidents recorded on the Aviation Safety Network database, though a farmer was killed when a Boeing 737-200 left the runway in 2008 following a hydraulic problem.
Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago nation, with more than 260 million people, has been plagued by transportation accidents on land, sea and air because of overcrowding on ferries, aging infrastructure and poorly enforced safety standards.
In October 2018, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet operated by Lion Air plunged into the Java Sea just minutes after taking off from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board. The plane involved in Saturday's incident did not have the automated flight-control system that played a role in the Lion Air crash and another crash of a 737 MAX 8 jet in Ethiopia five months later, leading to the grounding of the MAX 8 for 20 months.
The Lion Air crash was Indonesia's worst airline disaster since 1997, when 234 people were killed on a Garuda airlines flight near Medan on Sumatra island. In December 2014, an AirAsia flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the sea, killing 162 people.
Indonesian airlines were previously banned from flying to the United States and European Union for not meeting international safety standards. Both have since lifted the ban, citing improvement in aviation safety and greater compliance with international standards. -- AP
AP Newsroom
Sun Jan 10 2021
![Indonesia jet carrying 62 goes missing on domestic flight Indonesia jet carrying 62 goes missing on domestic flight](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-01/41610244266_FBREAKSriwijayaAir.jpg)
The plane was carrying 50 passengers and 12 crew members, all Indonesian nationals, including six extra crew for another trip. REUTERSpic
![MARA diminta terus teroka potensi industri halal global - Ahmad Zahid MARA diminta terus teroka potensi industri halal global - Ahmad Zahid](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/71721105894_AhmadZahidHamidi.jpg)
MARA diminta terus teroka potensi industri halal global - Ahmad Zahid
MARA diminta untuk terus meneroka potensi antarabangsa dalam industri halal yang mempunyai prospek besar menerusi program Gate to Global (GTG).
Kim Pan-gon letak jawatan berikutan komitmen peribadi
Pengurus pasukan kebangsaan Malaysia, Kim Pan-gon menyatakan perletakan jawatan tersebut kerana komitmen peribadi.
#AWANInews
#AWANInews
![Penggunaan dron tingkat keberkesanan pemantauan pencemaran - Nik Nazmi Penggunaan dron tingkat keberkesanan pemantauan pencemaran - Nik Nazmi](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/71721102997_SimposiumDronKeban.jpg)
Penggunaan dron tingkat keberkesanan pemantauan pencemaran - Nik Nazmi
Penggunaan dron membolehkan pemantauan pencemaran alam sekitar dan hidupan liar serta pencerobohan hutan dilaksanakan dengan lebih berkesan.
![Kim Pan-gon letak jawatan ketua jurulatih Harimau Malaya Kim Pan-gon letak jawatan ketua jurulatih Harimau Malaya](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/71718142997_KimPanGon.jpg)
Kim Pan-gon letak jawatan ketua jurulatih Harimau Malaya
Kim Pan-gon menjadi satu-satunya individu yang bakal meninggalkan pasukan manakala Pau Marti bersama staf sokongan yang lain kekal di Kelana Jaya.
![Bekas pengawal peribadi Wan Azizah cedera kemalangan Bekas pengawal peribadi Wan Azizah cedera kemalangan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721109015_bekaspengawalperib.jpg)
Bekas pengawal peribadi Wan Azizah cedera kemalangan
Bekas anggota polis wanita yang kini bekerja sebagai pengawal peribadi cedera setelah motosikal ditunggangnya melanggar sebuah SUV di lebuh raya PLUS.
![Rang Undang-undang Kebebasan Maklumat dijangka dibentang akhir tahun ini - Kulasegaran Rang Undang-undang Kebebasan Maklumat dijangka dibentang akhir tahun ini - Kulasegaran](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81719996195_MKulasegaran.jpg)
Rang Undang-undang Kebebasan Maklumat dijangka dibentang akhir tahun ini - Kulasegaran
RUU Kebebasan Maklumat dijangka dibentangkan di Parlimen pada akhir tahun ini selepas cadangan ketetapan bagi penggubalan Akta Kebebasan Maklumat dibawa ke Jemaah Menteri untuk kelulusan.
![Azizi dilantik Ketua Polis Perak baharu Azizi dilantik Ketua Polis Perak baharu](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721108438_azizi.jpg)
Azizi dilantik Ketua Polis Perak baharu
Timbalan Ketua Polis Perak Datuk Azizi Mat Aris dilantik sebagai Ketua Polis Perak yang baharu hari ini.
![ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, tak 'lompat parti' - Takiyuddin ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, tak 'lompat parti' - Takiyuddin](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721108165_ADUNRembiaPN.jpg)
ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, tak 'lompat parti' - Takiyuddin
Menurut Takiyuddin, keahlian Muhamad Jailani yang juga wakil rakyat UMNO diterima pada 10 Jun tahun lalu, namun diumumkan secara rasmi hari ini.
Kita perlu belajar hidup dengan COVID-19 - Pakar
Itu kata Pakar Perubatan Kesihatan Awam, Bahagian Kawalan Penyakit, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM), Dr Aznida Mohamad Zaki yang berkata pihaknya akan berusaha semampu mungkin dalam menggalakkan praktis kendiri dikalangan orang awam bagi mencegah penularan wabak seperti mana yang pernah dilakukan sebelum ini.
LHDN lulus 141,406 permohonan PKPS 2.0
Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) telah meluluskan sebanyak 141,406 permohonan program khas pengakuan sukarela (PKPS) 2.0 yang melibatkan 102,572 bilangan kes pembayar cukai individu, 27,707 bilangan kes syarikat dan selebihnya melibatkan lain kategori seperti pertubuhan.
![Alat perakam suara kokpit pesawat Sriwijaya Air ditemukan Alat perakam suara kokpit pesawat Sriwijaya Air ditemukan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-03/51617159342_TBSriwijayaAir.jpg)
Alat perakam suara kokpit pesawat Sriwijaya Air ditemukan
Jurucakap Tentera Laut berkata kotak hitam CVR itu ditemukan pada Rabu, namun tidak mengulas lanjut sama ada ia masih berada dalam keadaan baik.
![Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-01/61609513765_BAP.jpg)
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Rabu, 10 Februari 2021.
![Keluarga nahas pesawat Sriwijaya Air diberi taklimat sebelum laporan awal diumum Keluarga nahas pesawat Sriwijaya Air diberi taklimat sebelum laporan awal diumum](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-02/81612933197_TBSriwijayaAir.jpg)
Keluarga nahas pesawat Sriwijaya Air diberi taklimat sebelum laporan awal diumum
Bulan lepas, pesawat Boeing Co 737-500 berusia 26 tahun itu terhempas ke dalam Laut Jawa, menjadikan insiden itu kemalangan kapal terbang ketiga terburuk di Indonesia.
![Hasil siasatan awal nahas Sriwijaya Air diumum Februari ini Hasil siasatan awal nahas Sriwijaya Air diumum Februari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-01/51610456299_TBsriwijaya.jpg)
Hasil siasatan awal nahas Sriwijaya Air diumum Februari ini
Laporan awal hasil siasatan pesawat Sriwijaya Air yang terhempas 9 Jan lepas, dijangka diumumkan Febuari ini.
![Sriwijaya Air: Pasukan dari AS sertai misi siasatan pesawat Sriwijaya Air: Pasukan dari AS sertai misi siasatan pesawat](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-01/61610839288_SriwijayaAirTanjung.jpg)
Sriwijaya Air: Pasukan dari AS sertai misi siasatan pesawat
Pasukan itu terdiri daripada anggota Pentadbiran Penerbangan Persekutuan AS, General Electric dan Boeing.
![Nahas Sriwijaya Air: Misi pencarian kotak hitam disambung Nahas Sriwijaya Air: Misi pencarian kotak hitam disambung](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-01/81610529107_SriwijayaAirflight.jpg)
Nahas Sriwijaya Air: Misi pencarian kotak hitam disambung
Selepas seharian usaha mencari kotak hitam kedua pesawat Sriwijaya Air terhenti akibat cuaca buruk, misi oleh para penyelam diteruskan pada Khamis.
![Nahas Sriwijaya Air: Gara-gara laut bergelora, operasi pencarian CVR pesawat dihenti Nahas Sriwijaya Air: Gara-gara laut bergelora, operasi pencarian CVR pesawat dihenti](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-01/81610335099_Sriwijaya.jpg)
Nahas Sriwijaya Air: Gara-gara laut bergelora, operasi pencarian CVR pesawat dihenti
Misi pencarian CVR yang dijalankan oleh pasukan penyelam di Laut Jawa dihentikan susulan cuaca buruk yang menyebabkan ombak setinggi 2.5 meter.
![Indonesia yakin temui kotak hitam kedua pesawat Sriwijaya Air Indonesia yakin temui kotak hitam kedua pesawat Sriwijaya Air](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-01/81610529107_SriwijayaAirflight.jpg)
Indonesia yakin temui kotak hitam kedua pesawat Sriwijaya Air
Pasukan penyelam Indonesia percaya mereka hampir menemui rakaman suara kokpit pesawat Sriwijaya Air yang terhempas ke laut baru-baru ini.
![Pencarian 'kotak hitam' kedua pesawat Sriwijaya Air diteruskan Pencarian 'kotak hitam' kedua pesawat Sriwijaya Air diteruskan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-01/61610523898_SRIWIJAYAAIRDEBRIS.jpg)
Pencarian 'kotak hitam' kedua pesawat Sriwijaya Air diteruskan
Kotak hitam pertama ditemui pasukan penyelamat di sekitar Pulau Laki dan Pulau Lancang pada Selasa.
![Kotak hitam pesawat Sriwijaya Air ditemui selepas tiga hari Kotak hitam pesawat Sriwijaya Air ditemui selepas tiga hari](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-01/51610456299_TBsriwijaya.jpg)
Kotak hitam pesawat Sriwijaya Air ditemui selepas tiga hari
Kotak hitam itu ditemui antara sekitar Pulau Laki dan Pulau Lancang di Kepulauan Seribu, Jakarta.