uthorities said they have picked up signals believed to be from the black boxes belonging to the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 passenger jet that crashed off the coast of Jakarta.
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), assisted by the Indonesian Navy and relevant agencies, is racing against time to find both flight data and cockpit voice recorders of the aircraft that was meant to land in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, but disappeared from the radar only minutes after taking off on Saturday afternoon.
“We continue to monitor the two signals transmitted by the black boxes and we have marked them. Hopefully we can lift the black boxes soon, so that we can find the cause of the accident,” Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Hadi Tjahjanto said on Sunday in a televised press briefing.
Carrying 50 passengers and 12 crew members, the aircraft had climbed to about 11,000 feet before contact was lost and it suddenly nosedived, according to tracking website flightradar24.com.
Sriwijaya Air CEO Jefferson Irwin Jauwena said the flight had been delayed for 30 minutes from its scheduled departure time due to heavy rain, but the plane had been "airworthy".
National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) chief Soerjanto Tjahjono said that with the black boxes located, divers would soon begin the search using portable finders.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.
Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
We appreciate your feedback.