More Plane Crashes in SE Asia, Older Indonesian Boeing Plane Crashes Into Sea
Posted on 01/09/2021
A Boeing 737-500 jet carrying 62 people lost contact with air traffic controllers minutes after taking off from Indonesia’s capital on a domestic flight on Saturday. Indonesian 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 plane was on an estimated 90-minute flight from Jakarta to Pontianak. The plane was carrying 50 passengers and 12 crew members, all Indonesian nationals. The plane was 26 years old.
Officials confirm that the jet has crashed into the Java Sea, just minutes after taking off. The cause of the plane crash has not been determined.
Sriwijaya Air is an Indonesian airline based in Jakarta. In 2011, the Sriwijaya Air began leasing 12 used Boeing 737-500s with a total value of US$ 84 million to replacing its ageing 737-200 aircraft.
