Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - The Boeing Company`s team members would meet with the Lion Air authorities on Wednesday for talks about the crash of its aircraft into the sea off Tanjung Karawang, West Java Province, on Monday.

"The Boeing team members will come and talk to us on Wednesday. We have many questions that we want to ask about the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft," Lion Air Operational Director Daniel Putu said at the Sukanto Police Hospital here on Tuesday.

Lion Air would not evaluate the aircraft produced by this world`s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners, because the whole evaluation process would solely be conducted by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), he said.

Instead, Lion Air would evaluate the pilot, operational and technical team members, and other human resources, he said, adding that during the inspection and examination processes, the eight other units of Boeing 737 MAX 8 that it possesses will not be operated.

The whole aircraft would resume their operation if the outcomes of the inspection concluded that there were no problems with flight safety. "The examination needs time," Daniel Putu said.

In response to the flight incident, Boeing has pledged to provide technical assistance at the request and under the direction of government authorities investigating the accident.

"In accordance with international protocol, all inquiries about this accident investigation must be directed to the investigating authority in charge, the National Transportation Safety Committee of Indonesia," said Boeing in its statement on Lion Air Flight JT 610.

The Boeing Company is deeply saddened by the loss of Lion Air Flight JT 610. "We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of those on board," it said.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) still collected all necessary data related to the crash of Lion Air flight JT 610 on Tuesday.

"The National Transportation Safety Committee has set up a command center and has also deployed several investigators," the KNKT Deputy Chief, Haryo Satmiko, told journalists here.

The KNKT team members had got on board of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology`s (BPPT) research vessel Baruna Jaya I heading to the crash site on Monday evening. The ship had arrived at the site at 06.00 am local time on Tuesday.

Then, the committee`s investigators coordinated with the Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator of the National Agency for Search and Rescue (BNPP), the Indonesian military (TNI), and the state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina to begin the search of the main wreckage.

On Tuesday at 09.30 am local time, the KNKT and BPPT team members lowered a rigid inflatable boat carrying a multi-beam sonar and ping locator into the sea waters off Tanjung Karawang, West Java Province, to search for the crash site of the ill-fated plane.

The transportation safety committee`s investigators remained at the sea in their efforts to find the flight recorder or black box of the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft carrying 189 people on board.

Reporting by Dyah Dwi Astuti

(T.R013/A)



(T.R013/A/R013/S022) 31-10-2018 07:17:50

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Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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