Lion Air Plane Rips Wing in Runway Crash Following Fatal Accident
Days after Lion Air lost a plane in Indonesia's worst air disaster in two decades, the carrier found itself in the midst of another incident.
A Boeing Co. 737-900ER operated by PT Lion Mentari Airlines clipped a pole late Wednesday while taxiing at Bengkulu airport in southern Sumatra, shearing the tip of its left wing, the carrier said in a statement. Authorities grounded the aircraft for investigation, while a ground staff guiding the plane has been questioned.
A brand new Boeing 737 Max 8 jet operated by the Jakarta-based budget carrier plunged into the Java Sea minutes after takeoff from the nation's capital on Oct. 29, taking down 189 lives.
While investigators are still piecing together evidence and data to find the exact cause of the crash, the plane manufacturer cautioned operators Tuesday that a sensor malfunction could trick the plane into pointing its nose down to gain speed it thinks it needs to keep flying, and stressed pilots should follow existing procedures in the manual.
