A passenger plane carrying 189 people crashed into the sea off Jakarta on Monday minutes after taking off on a domestic flight to an Indonesian tin-mining region. Lion Air flight JT610, travelling from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka, lost contact with air traffic control about 13 minutes after it took off, shortly after its pilot had asked to return to base. Flight data showed that it made a sudden, sharp dive into the sea. Officials said human remains had been recovered from the crash site, about nine miles (15km) off the coast, and that they did not expect to find survivors. The plane was a Boeing 737 Max 8 jet, a new model that was launched globally only last year. The specific plane had been in use for less than three months. Lion Air’s chief executive, Edward Sirait, told reporters the plane had suffered “a technical issue” on Sunday night but engineers had cleared it to fly on Monday morning. “This plane previously flew from Denpasar to Jakarta,” he said. “There was a report of a technical issue, which had been resolved according to procedure.” Sirait did not elaborate on the specific issue, and said he had no plans to ground the rest of Lion Air’s Max 8 fleet. The airline operates 11 of the Boeing planes. On Monday rescuers released footage of debris and personal items floating in the water at the crash site, including handbags, clothing, mobile phones, ID cards and driving licences. Dozens of divers from the national search and rescue agency and the military were working to retrieve the bodies of victims. At Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta, relatives arrived at the airport crisis centre, many too distressed to talk to the media. Tugi, a Jakarta resident, came to inquire about his friend Wendy. “I came to try and get some information, but they can’t give us any answers,” he said. “They don’t know yet, so I am going home and will monitor the media reports from there.” Forensics officers have told family members of those on board that they can assist with the identification process by providing medical and dental records at the police hospital in East Jakarta. About 20 of the 189 people on board were Indonesian finance department officials who had travelled to Jakarta for a conference. Three children, two of them infants, and eight crewmembers were also among those on board. A statement from Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said the aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter had not sent out a distress signal despite being certified to work until August 2019. The plane went down in waters about 30-35 metres (98-115ft) deep. Indonesia’s disaster agency spokesman posted video of debris on Twitter. Serpihan pesawat Lion Air JT 610 yang jatuh di perairan Karawang. Beberapa kapal tug boad membantu menangani evakuasi. Video diambil petugas tug boad yang ada di perairan Karawang. pic.twitter.com/4GhKcRYkpG — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018 Another official said he could not confirm the cause of the crash, as the plane’s black box, comprising the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, had yet to be recovered. But it was confirmed that the pilot had requested to turn back shortly after takeoff. “We will collect all data from the control tower,” said Soerjanto Tjahjono, the official. “The plane is so modern, it transmits data from the plane and that we will review too. But the most important is the black box.” On Monday afternoon the national search and rescue agency said it had determined the location of the black box, but had not yet managed to retrieve it. Profile Boeing 737 Max 8 Show The Lion Air plane that crashed into the sea moments after takeoff on Monday had been used by the airline for only two months. It has been described as the “world’s most reliable airplane”. The 737 MAX 8 model was first operated for a commercial flight in May 2017 by Malindo Air, but has since been adopted by airlines globally. The plane is a variant of the Boeing 737 Max series, which is the fastest selling plane in Boeing history. Worth upwards of £70m, the Max 8 version has an air range of 6,570km and a passenger capacity of up to 210. The planes are built at Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington, in the US. The plane has been purchased by airlines across the world, including American Airlines, United Airlines, Ryanair, Jet Airlines, FlyDubai, Norwegian Air, Iceland Air, SilkAir, Turkish Airlines, Korean Air, Air Canada and Malaysia Airlines. In 2012, Lion Air was one of the first airlines to finalise an order – worth $22.4bn – with Boeing for the 737 Max. As of April this year, eight of the 201 planes ordered had been delivered to Lion Air. According to company reports, as of September 2018 the Boeing 737 Max had received 4,783 firm orders from more than 100 countries. Boeing says carbon emissions and cabin noise are down 20% and 40% respectively on previous models. The crash in Indonesia was the first incident involving the 737 Max model. In a statement released after the Indonesia crash, Boeing said the company “stands ready to provide technical assistance to the accident investigation". Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. The incident is the first to be reported that involves the widely sold Max 8, an updated, more fuel-efficient version of the common 737. The first Boeing 737 Max jets were introduced into service in 2017. Boeing and the US National Transportation Safety Board both said on Monday that they were providing assistance to Indonesian accident investigators. The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, expressed his condolences in a televised address. Australian government officials have been instructed not to fly with Lion Air until the cause of the crash can be determined. Indonesia is one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, although its safety record is patchy. The crash could potentially be the country’s second worst air disaster since 1997, industry experts said. Reuters contributed to this report<doc-sep>Associated Press KARAWANG, Indonesia (AP) - A Lion Air plane carrying 189 people crashed into the sea just minutes after taking off from Indonesia's capital on Monday in a blow to the country's aviation safety record after the lifting of bans on its airlines by the European Union and U.S. Indonesia's disaster agency posted photos online of a crushed smartphone, books, bags and parts of the aircraft fuselage that had been collected by search and rescue vessels. President Joko Widodo ordered the transport safety commission to investigate and urged Indonesians to "keep on praying" as rescuers search for victims. A transport official said the flight requested to return shortly after takeoff from Jakarta. Weather conditions were normal but the brand new aircraft had experienced a technical issue on its previous flight. Lion Air said the jet, on a 1 hour and 10 minute flight to Pangkal Pinang on an island chain off Sumatra, was carrying 181 passengers, including one child and two babies, and eight crew members. Distraught friends and relatives prayed and hugged each other as they waited at Pangkal Pinang's airport and at a crisis center set up at Jakarta's airport. Indonesian TV broadcast pictures of a fuel slick and debris field in the ocean. The National Search and Rescue Agency's deputy chief, Nugroho Budi Wiryanto, said about 300 people including soldiers, police and local fishermen were involved in the search and that so far it has recovered no bodies - only ID cards, personal belongings and aircraft debris. "We are waiting for the miracle from God," said Wiryanto, when asked if there were any hope of survivors. At the agency's headquarters in Jakarta, family members waited desperately for news. Feni, who uses a single name, said her soon to be married sister was on the flight, planning to meet relatives in Pangkal Pinang. "We are here to find any information about my younger sister, her fiance, her in-law to be and a friend of them," said Feni. "We don't have any information," she said, as her father wiped tears from reddened eyes. "No one provided us with any information that we need. We're confused. We hope that our family is still alive." Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani also arrived at the agency and met with its chief, seeking information about 20 ministry staff who were on the flight after attending a ministry event in Jakarta. The search and rescue agency said the flight ended in waters off West Java that are 30 to 35 meters (98 to 115 feet) deep. The agency's chief, Muhammad Syaugi, told a news conference that divers are trying to locate the wreckage. Weather conditions for the flight were safe, according to the Indonesian meteorology agency. It said the type of clouds associated with turbulence was not present and winds were weak. The Boeing 737 Max 8 was delivered to Lion Air in mid-August and put in use within days, according to aviation website Flightradar24. Malindo Air, a Malaysian subsidiary of Jakarta-based Lion Air, was the first airline to being using the 737 Max 8 last year. The Max 8 replaced the similar 800 in the Chicago-based plane maker's product line. Lion Air president-director Edward Sirait said the plane had a "technical problem" on its previous flight from Bali to Jakarta but it had been fully remedied. He didn't know specifics of the problem when asked in a TV interview. The pilot of Flight 610 had more than 6,000 flying hours while the co-pilot had more than 5,000 hours, according to the airline. "Indeed there were reports about a technical problem, and the technical problem has been resolved in accordance with the procedures released by the plane manufacturer," he said. "I did not know exactly but let it be investigated by the authorities." Boeing Co. said it was "deeply saddened" by the crash and was prepared to provide technical assistance to Indonesia's crash probe. In a statement, the Chicago-based manufacturer expressed its concern for the 189 people onboard and offered "heartfelt sympathies to their families and loved ones." The Transport Ministry said the plane took off from Jakarta at about 6:20 a.m. and crashed just 13 minutes later. Data from FlightAware showed it had reached an altitude of only 5,200 feet (1,580 meters). The crash is the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since an AirAsia flight from Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the sea in December 2014, killing all 162 on board. Indonesian airlines were barred in 2007 from flying to Europe because of safety concerns, though several were allowed to resume services in the following decade. The ban was completely lifted in June this year. The U.S. lifted a decadelong ban in 2016. Lion Air, a discount carrier, is one of Indonesia's youngest and biggest airlines, flying to dozens of domestic and international destinations. In 2013, one of its Boeing 737-800 jets missed the runway while landing on Bali, crashing into the sea without causing any fatalities among the 108 people on board. __ Wright reported from Jakarta. AP writers Niniek Karmini and Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta contributed to this report.<doc-sep>The Lion Air passenger plane lost contact with air traffic control 13 minutes after take-off. Indonesia's search and rescue agency said that all 189 passenger and crew aboard a crashed Indonesian jet were "likely" killed in the accident. On Monday a Lion Air passenger flight from Jakarta, the capital, to the city of Pangkal Pinang off the island of Sumatra, had crashed into the sea. "It has been confirmed that it has crashed," Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for the agency, said by text message, when asked about the fate of the Lion Air plane. It was not immediately clear how many were on board. Lion Air Flight JT610 took off around 6:20 am and was due to have landed in the capital of the Bangka-Belitung tin mining hub at 7:20 am, the flight tracking service showed. The plane, a Boeing 737 Max 8 model, lost contact with the air-traffic controller at 6:33 am, 13 minutes after taking off, the airport authorities said. Here are the updates on the Lion Air plane crash: Oct 29, 2018 19:02 (IST) Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) said there were 178 adult passengers, one child, two infants, two pilots and six cabin crew on board flight JT 610. Oct 29, 2018 17:51 (IST) "Thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives".. says PM Modi on Indonesian jet crash My thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the plane crash in Indonesia. May Almighty give them strength and courage in this hour of grief: PM @narendramodi - PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 29, 2018 Oct 29, 2018 17:35 (IST) How Jakarta's Notorious Traffic Saved Man From Doomed Lion Air Flight An Indonesian man has described how Jakarta's notorious traffic inadvertently saved his life on Monday after he arrived too late to catch the doomed Lion Air plane which plunged into the sea minutes after taking off. An Indonesian man has described how Jakarta's notorious traffic inadvertently saved his life on Monday after he arrived too late to catch the doomed Lion Air plane which plunged into the sea minutes after taking off. Oct 29, 2018 16:37 (IST) Some 40 divers are part of about 150 personnel at the rescue scene, authorities said, with the plane in water about 30 to 40 metres deep, says AFP reports. Oct 29, 2018 16:31 (IST) Indonesian Plane With 189 On Board Had Asked To Return To Base An Indonesian aircraft with 189 people on board crashed into the sea on Monday as it tried to circle back to the capital, Jakarta, from where it had taken off minutes earlier, and there were likely no survivors, officials said. An Indonesian aircraft with 189 people on board crashed into the sea on Monday as it tried to circle back to the capital, Jakarta, from where it had taken off minutes earlier, and there were likely no survivors, officials said. Oct 29, 2018 16:00 (IST) Indian Pilot Bhavye Suneja Dies In Indonesia Plane Crash: Indian Embassy Bhavye Suneja, Indian pilot of the Indonesian plane that crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Jakarta was also killed in the accident. The aircraft was commanded by Captain Suneja and co-pilot Harvino with six cabin crew members. The 31-year-old captain has 6,000 flight hours and the co-pilot more than 5,000 flight hours, the airline said in a statement. Our deepest condolences on the tragic loss of lives in the Lion Air Plane crash, off the coast of Jakarta today. Most unfortunate that Indian Pilot Bhavye Suneja who was flying JT610 also lost his life...Embassy is in touch with Crisis Center and coordinating for all assistance. pic.twitter.com/56lbxGSoJe - India in Indonesia (@IndianEmbJkt) October 29, 2018 Bhavye Suneja, Indian pilot of the Indonesian plane that crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Jakarta was also killed in the accident. The aircraft was commanded by Captain Suneja and co-pilot Harvino with six cabin crew members. The 31-year-old captain has 6,000 flight hours and the co-pilot more than 5,000 flight hours, the airline said in a statement. Oct 29, 2018 15:51 (IST) "My prediction is that nobody survived because the victims that we found, their bodies were no longer intact and it's been hours so it is likely 189 people have died," agency operational director Bambang Suryo Aji told reporters. Oct 29, 2018 15:44 (IST) All 189 aboard crashed Indonesia Jet "likely" dead, search and rescue agency Indonesia search and rescue says 'likely' all 189 aboard crashed jet dead, reports AFP. Oct 29, 2018 14:06 (IST) Delhi Pilot Was Flying The Indonesian Plane The pilot of an Indonesian plane that crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Jakarta was an Indian national. Bhavye Suneja, 31, was a Delhi resident. He joined the Indonesian carrier, Lion Air, seven years ago. The aircraft was commanded by Captain Suneja and co-pilot Harvino with six cabin crew members. The 31-year-old captain has 6,000 flight hours and the co-pilot more than 5,000 flight hours, the airline said in a statement. Oct 29, 2018 12:27 (IST) Finding the 'Black Boxes' The top priority for investigators will be finding the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to help determine the cause, safety experts said. The pilots had asked to turn back to base shortly before losing contact with air traffic control, according to a spokesman for Indonesia's air navigation authorities. Data from flight tracking service FlightRadar24 shows the first sign that something was amiss came about two minutes into the flight when the plane had reached 2,000 feet. At that point, it descended more than 500 feet and veered to the left before climbing again to 5,000 feet, where it stayed during most of the rest of the flight. It began gaining speed in the final moments and reached 345 knots (397 mph) before data was lost when it was at 3,650 feet. Oct 29, 2018 12:21 (IST) Indonesia's Lion Air plane had technical problem in previous flight The Indonesian Lion Air plane had a technical problem on a previous flight, but it had been resolved according to procedure, the company's chief executive said. "This plane previously flew from Denpasar to Cengkareng (Jakarta). There was a report of a technical issue which had been resolved according to procedure," Edward Sirait told reporters, declining to specify the nature of the technical issue. He said Lion has operated 11 aircraft of the same model, the Boeing 737 Max 8, and the other planes did not have the same technical problem. Sirait said there was no plan to ground the rest of its Boeing 737 Max 8 fleet. Oct 29, 2018 11:59 (IST) At least 23 government officials were on board the plane, which an air navigation spokesman said had sought to turn back just before losing contact. Oct 29, 2018 11:24 (IST) Passengers feared dead "We don't know yet whether there are any survivors," agency head Muhmmad Syaugi said at a news conference, adding that no distress signal had been received from the aircraft's emergency transmitter. "We hope, we pray, but we cannot confirm." He said that items such as hand phones and life vests were found in waters about 30 metres to 35 metres deep near where the plane, identified by air tracking service Flightradar 24 as a Boeing 737 MAX 8, lost contact. "We are there already, our vessels, our helicopter is hovering above the waters, to assist," Syaugi said. "We are trying to dive down to find the wreck." Oct 29, 2018 11:05 (IST) Oct 29, 2018 10:29 (IST) Indonesia says crashed plane sought return to base before losing contact An aircraft with 189 aboard that crashed into the Java Sea had requested to return to base shortly before losing contact, said Yohanes Sirait, a spokesman for the country's air navigation authorities. "The (traffic) control allowed that, but then it lost contact," Mr Sirait added. The Lion Air aircraft, which lost contact 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, the capital, is believed to have sunk after crashing.<doc-sep>
Editor's Note: Searchers have been at the scene and investigators are looking into the fatal crash. Read the latest updates here. Monday's earlier story appears below. JAKARTA, Indonesia — A Lion Air flight with 189 people on board crashed into the sea moments after taking off from Indonesia's capital early Monday. The airliner said it had lost contact with Flight JT-610 and Indonesia's search and rescue agency posted images of debris it has found from the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane that went down in the waters off West Java. There was no immediate word of any survivors and the aircraft is believed to have sunk after it crashed. "It has been confirmed that it has crashed," Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for the agency, said by text message, when asked about the fate of the Lion Air plane, according to the Reuters news agency. Latif said the plane had lost contact 13 minutes after takeoff. The aircraft had requested to return to base shortly before losing contact, according to Yohanes Sirait, a spokesman for Indonesia's air navigation authorities. "The (traffic) control allowed that, but then it lost contact," he added. The crash is the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since an AirAsia flight plunged into the sea in December 2014, killing all 162 on board. It's the latest blow to the country's aviation safety record after the lifting of bans on its airlines by the European Union and U.S. The plane had departed Jakarta about 6:20 a.m. Monday, BBC News reports. Indonesia's disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the plane was scheduled for a 1-hour-and-10 minute flight to Pangkal Pinang on an island chain off Sumatra. The National Search and Rescue Agency chief Muhammad Syaugi told a news conference that divers are trying to locate the wreckage of the plane, which according to aviation website Flightradar24 was brand-new and delivered to Lion Air in August. Officials said the plane had been carrying 178 adults, one child and two babies, as well as two pilots and six flight attendants. Next of kin have gathered at Pangkal Pinang airport, CBS News has learned, where a crisis center has been setup there and also at Jakarta's Soekarno Hatta airport. Relatives of passengers of Lion Air flight JT-610 that crashed into the sea, cry at Depati Amir airport in Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia, on Mon., Oct. 29, 2018. Reuters BBC News flagged a tweet from the head of Indonesia's disaster agency that apparently shows parts of the plane and personal belongings from the flight, including a crushed smartphone, books and bags. Beberapa serpihan pesawat Lion Air JT 610 yang jatuh di perairan Karawang. Pesawat membawa 178 penumpang dewasa, 1 penumpang anak-anak dan 2 bayi dengan 2 Pilot dan 5 FA. Basarnas dan Kementerian Perhubungan terus melakukan penanganan. Beberapa kapal tug boad berada di lokasi. pic.twitter.com/Gb6P4zjCQF — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018 The Associated Press reports the Jakarta Search and Rescue Office cites the crew of a tug boat reporting a Lion Air flight falling from the sky. It said several vessels have headed to the location. Local television coverage broadcast images of a fuel slick and debris field. The National Search and Rescue Agency said the flight ended in waters off West Java that are 98 to 115 feet deep. Divers have been dispatched to the scene. Serpihan pesawat Lion Air JT 610 yang jatuh di perairan Karawang. Beberapa kapal tug boad membantu menangani evakuasi. Video diambil petugas tug boad yang ada di perairan Karawang. pic.twitter.com/4GhKcRYkpG — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018 Flight tracking website Flightradar24 tweeted "preliminary data show an increase in speed and decrease in altitude at last transmission." They posted an image of the flight track, showing JT-610 looping south on takeoff and then heading north before the flight path ended abruptly over the Java Sea, not far from the coast. The plane reportedly reached an altitude of only 5,200 feet. We're following reports that contact has been lost with Lion Air flight #JT610 shortly after takeoff from Jakarta. ADS-B data from the flight is available at https://t.co/zNM33cM0na pic.twitter.com/NIU7iuCcFu — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 29, 2018 BBC News said the Boeing 737 Max 8 is meant for short-haul travel and features a single-aisle that can fit a maximum of 210 passengers. The plane serving Flight JT-610 was configured to seat 189 passengers, aviation consultant Gerry Soejatman told BBC News. A Lion Air Boeing 737-800 seen April 8, 2016.