Lion Air Flight 904
![]() Lion Airlines Boeing 737-800 similar to the crashed aircraft | |
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 13 April 2013 |
Summary | Crash landed in sea short of runway |
Site | Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia 8°44′57″S 115°8′29″E / 8.74917°S 115.14139°E |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Boeing 737-8GP |
Operator | Lion Air |
IATA flight No. | JT904 |
ICAO flight No. | LNI904 |
Call sign | LION INTER 904 |
Registration | PK-LKS |
Flight origin | Husein Sastranegara International Airport, Bandung, Indonesia |
Destination | Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar, Indonesia |
Passengers | 101 |
Crew | 7 |
Fatalities | 0 |
Injuries | 46 (including 4 serious) |
Survivors | 108 |
Lion Air Flight 904 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight, flying from Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung to Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, Indonesia. On 13 April 2013, the Boeing 737 operating the route while on final approach crashed into water short of runway. All 101 passengers and 7 crew on board survived the accident.[1] The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-800, registration PK-LKS, operated by Lion Air between Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung, Indonesia and Denpasar. At 15:10 local time (07:10 UTC), the aircraft crashed approximately 0.6 nautical miles (1.1 km) short of the seawall protecting the threshold of Runway 09. The aircraft's fuselage broke into two[1] and 46 people were injured, 4 of them seriously.
The airport was closed for around ninety minutes while emergency services attended the scene.[2]At the time of the accident, Lion Air had 16 other Boeing 737-800 in the fleet.
Investigators published the final report and concluded that pilot error was the cause of the crash. The investigation determined that there were no issues with the aircraft and all systems were operating normally. The investigation concluded several factors to this accident were the pitch angle versus engine power on the FDR data indicated that the basic principle of jet aircraft flying was not adhered during manual flying, aircraft flight path became unstable below MDA when the rate of descend exceeding 300 metres per minute, in which this situation was not recognised by either pilot, and the Captain's decision to go-around was conducted at an altitude which was insufficient for the go-around to be executed successfully. The flight crew loss of situational awareness in regards of visual references once the aircraft entered a rain cloud during the final approach below minimum descend altitude (MDA) contributed to the plane crashing into the water.
Aircraft
The Boeing 737-8GP, registration PK-LKS, was officially owned by Avolon Aerospace. The aircraft was received new from Boeing by the Lion Air subsidiary Malindo Air on 21 February 2013. It was then transferred to parent Lion Air on 20 March 2013. The aircraft had been in service for less than six weeks with Lion Air before the accident.[3]
Investigation
The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) published a preliminary report on 15 May 2013. Flight data showed that the aircraft continued to descend below the Minimum descent altitude (MDA), which is 142 metres (466 ft) AGL. The report found that at 270 metres (890 ft) AGL, the first officer reported that the runway was not in sight. At approximately 46 metres (151 ft) AGL, the pilot again stated he could not see the runway. Flight data showed that the pilots attempted to perform a go-around at approximately 6.1 metres (20 ft) AGL, but contacted the water surface moments later. The captain’s go around decision came far too late. The bare minimum altitude for a 737 go around is 15 m, as 9 m of altitude is lost when executing the manoeuvre.[4] There has been no indication that the aircraft suffered any mechanical malfunction.[5] A final report was published during 2014.[6]
In January 2017, Budi Waseso, the chief of Indonesia's national narcotics agency, said that the pilot of Lion Air Flight 904 was under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident, and had hallucinated that the sea was part of the runway. That claim is at odds with the statement made after the accident by Indonesia's transport ministry, which said the pilots had not tested positive for drugs.[7]
The NTSC concluded that the flight path became unstable below minimum descent altitude with the rate of descent exceeding 1000 feet per minute. The flight crew lost situational awareness and visual references as the aircraft entered a rain cloud during the final approach below minimum descent altitude. The Captain’s go-around decision and execution was conducted at an altitude which was insufficient for it to be executed successfully. The pilots were not provided with timely and accurate weather information considering the weather around the airport and particularly on final approach was changing rapidly.[8]
Passengers and Cabin Crew Nationalities
There were two pilots and 5 flight attendants with 101 passengers on board consisted of 95 adults, 5 children and 1 infant. 97 passengers were Indonesian, but included one French, one Belgian, and two Singaporeans. 6 of the crew were Indonesian while one came from India. [9]
See also
- Japan Airlines Flight 2 – DC-8 landed in San Francisco Bay
- Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 – 737 crashed short of the runway on approach to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
- US Airways Flight 1549 – Similar size aircraft that landed on water with no fatalities
- American Airlines Flight 1420 – Similar accident where pilots could not see the runway prior to the crash
- Asiana Airlines Flight 214 – Similar accident in July 2013 where the aircraft flew too low/slow, and crashed
References
- ^ a b Hradecky, Simon (1 May 2013). "Accident: Lionair B738 at Denpasar on Apr 13th 2013, landed short of runway and came to stop in sea". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ Arif Haryanto. "Kronologi Insiden Lion Air LNI 904 PK-LKS di Bandara Ngurah Rai (Chronology of Incident involving Lion Air LNI 904 PK-LKS at Ngurah Rai Airport)" (in Indonesian). Angkasa Pura Airports. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ "PK-LKS Lion Airlines Boeing 737-8GP(WL) – cn 38728 / ln 4350". Planespotters.net. 13 April 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
- ^ http://www.cockpitchatter.com/final-report-lion-air-flight-904-pilot-error/
- ^ "Preliminary Report No. KNKT.13.04.09.04" (PDF). National Transport Safety Committee. 14 May 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ NTSC. "Final Report No. KNKT.13.04.09.04, PT.Lion Mentari Airlines (Lion Air) Boeing 737 - 800;PK-LKS Ngurh Rai International Airport, Bali Republic of Indonesia 13 April 2013" (PDF). NTSC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Bali crash pilot 'hallucinated', says Indonesia anti-narcotics boss". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Aircraft Accident Investigation Report" (PDF). National Transport Safety Committee, Government of Indonesia. 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "MUSIBAH LION AIR: 4 Warga Negara Asing Jadi Korban". Bisnis.com. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2015.[permanent dead link]