Sriwijaya Air’s Boeing 737-500 jetliner crashes, killing 62 people

Indonesian carrier Sriwijaya Air’s Boeing 737-500 jetliner has crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta, killing all 62 people on board.

The Pontianak-bound Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 lost contact 11nm north of Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at an altitude of 11,000ft, officials said.

Flight tracking website Flightradar24.com believes that Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 might have dropped more than 3,000m (10,000ft) in less than a minute before disappearing from radar.

The aircraft was carrying 50 passengers, including 43 adults and seven children, as well as 12 crew members, Indonesian Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi told reporters during a press conference.

According to Sriwijaya Airlines CEO Jefferson Irwin Jauwena, ‘the plane was in good condition before it took off’.

The carrier is still looking for more detailed information and clarity regarding the incident.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s national search-and-rescue agency conducted the search operation and has recovered aircraft debris and human remains.

Indonesia’s Transport Safety committee head Soerjanto Tjahjono has revealed that they have located the position of both black boxes and divers will start looking for them.

The Boeing 737-500 that crashed is not a 737 Max, which was grounded since March 2019 following two deadly crashes.

In a statement, Boeing said that it is aware of the media reports regarding Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 and was closely monitoring the development.

Boeing said: “Our thoughts are with the crew, passengers, and their families. We are in contact with our airline customer and stand ready to support them during this difficult time.”