[ad_1]
FLIGHTRADAR24
The flight lost more than 10,000 feet of altitude in less than a minute, according to FlightRadar24.
An Indonesian passenger plane is missing and is feared to have crashed shortly after take off from Jakarta International Airport on Saturday (local time).
The Sriwijaya Boeing 737-500, with 56 passengers and six crew members on board, flew from the Indonesian capital Jakarta to Pontianak, the capital of the West Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo.
The plane lost contact shortly after take-off and flight radar shows that it ascends and then disappears.
Authorities say they have not had contact with the plane since 2:40 p.m. local time.
“Sriwijaya Air, so far, is still trying to contact all related institutions for more detailed information on the flight, SJ182, en route Jakarta to Pontianak,” a statement from the airline said.
READ MORE:
* Boeing will pay $ 3.4 billion in fines for misleading regulators after 737 Max planes crashed.
* Boeing 737 Max returns to the skies of the USA with the first passenger flight
* Air Canada Boeing 737 Max forced to make an emergency landing
“Management is still communicating and investigating this and will release an official statement shortly after we get the actual information.”
The flight, SJ182, took off from Soekarno Hatta airport at 2.14 pm and was due to arrive in Pontianak at 3.50 pm
The 56 passengers on board include 46 adults, seven children, and three infants. The crew included two pilots and four cabin crew.
Elaine Thompson / AP
Boeing has been under intense scrutiny lately, after two fatal accidents involving its Boeing 737 MAX (pictured). The Indonesian plane that disappeared is a Boeing 737-500 (not pictured).
Initial information was that the flight lost contact with air traffic control 11 nautical miles north of Jakarta as it passed 11,000 feet and climbed to 13,000 feet.
Authorities believe it may have crashed into the sea in the vicinity of the Thousand Islands, off the coast of Jakarta.
Flightradar 24 claims that the flight lost more than 10,000 feet of altitude in less than a minute, about four minutes after leaving Jakarta, meaning it fell from the sky.
Indonesian fishermen reportedly told authorities that they saw the plane sink into the ocean and were photographed holding what is believed to be wreckage from the nefarious liner.
The plane’s tragic disappearance comes just over two years after an Indonesian Lion Air flight crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta airport.
The Lion Air flight was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 that crashed 13 minutes after takeoff on October 29, 2018, killing all 189 passengers and crew.
Indonesia, a nation of 17,000 islands, has a checkered aviation safety record, with multiple low-cost airlines serving the expanding republic and a history of tragic air crashes.
