Lion Air Flight 538

Lion Air Flight 538
PK-LMN, the aircraft involved in the crash, seen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in August 2004.
Accident
Date 30 November 2004 (2004-11-30)
Summary Runway overshoot caused by pilot error
Site Surakarta, Indonesia
Aircraft
Aircraft type McDonnell Douglas MD-82
Operator Lion Air
IATA flight No. JT538
ICAO flight No. LNI538
Call sign LION INTER 538
Registration PK-LMN
Flight origin Soekarno-Hatta International Airport
Jakarta, Indonesia
Stopover Adisumarmo International Airport
Surakarta, Indonesia
Destination Juanda International Airport
Surabaya, Indonesia
Passengers 146
Crew 7
Fatalities 25
Injuries 109
Survivors 128

Lion Air Flight 538 (JT 538) was a scheduled passenger flight from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Jakarta to Juanda International Airport in Surabaya with a stopover at Adi Sumarmo Airport, Surakarta, Indonesia. On 30 November 2004, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 overran the runway of Adi Sumarmo Airport and crashed onto a cemetery on landing. The Captain, a flight attendant and 23 passengers were killed in the crash. Investigation conducted by the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee concluded that the crash was caused by hydroplaning, which was aggravated by wind shear.

Aircraft

The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, with serial number 49189, made its first flight on 13 November 1984 before being delivered to Mexican operator Aeroméxico in December 1984, it was registered as XA-AMP at that time before being acquired by Lion Air in 2002 and was re-registered as PK-LMN. The airline has sold the plane to Webjet Linhas Aereas for delivery in January 2005.[1]

Accident

Flight 538 took off from Jakarta at 17:00 local time (West Indonesian Time) carrying 146 passengers and 7 crew members. Most of the passengers were members of the Nahdlatul Ulama, who were attending a national meeting held after the victorious result of the 2004 Indonesian Presidential Election. The flight was piloted by Captain Dwi Mawastoro, who was a former military pilot, and First Officer Stephen Lesdek under instrument flight regulations. The flight was uneventful until its landing.[2]

The flight arrived at the airport during dusk, at around 18:00 local time in heavy rain. A thunderstorm was reportedly present during the landing.[2]

Flight 538 was configured appropriately for landing, touched down "smoothly", according to most passengers, and the thrust reversers were deployed. The aircraft, however, failed to slow adequately, overran the runway and slammed into an embankment. The impact caused the floor of the front portion of the plane to collapse, reportedly killing many of the passengers. The aircraft split into two sections, coming to rest in the end of the Runway and fuel began to leak. Passengers had difficulty locating emergency exits in the waning light. Some of the passengers self-evacuated through the opening in the fuselage.[3]

Immediate aftermath

The airport was closed and emergency services were notified. Injured passengers were transported by police vehicles and ambulances to numerous hospitals across Solo. At least 14 of the dead were transported to the Pabelan Hospital. 6 people, 2 dead and 4 injured, were transported to Panti Waluyo Hospital. Others were transported to Oen Kandangsapi, Brayat Minulya, Kasih Ibu, Oen Solo Baru and PKU Muhammadiyah, as well as facilities in Boyolali and Karanganyar. Survivors with minor injuries were treated inside the airport VIP terminal.[2]

Ultimately 25 persons were listed by authorities as killed and 59 injured.[4][2]

Passengers and crew

Most of the passengers were Indonesian, while airport officials confirmed that one Singaporean woman was among the injured. The pilot at the controls of the plane during the landing and subsequent crash was Captain Dwi Mawastoro; his co-pilot was First Officer Stephen Lesdek. Captain Dwi died in the crash while First Officer Lesdek survived with serious injuries.[5]

Investigation

The newly elected Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered an immediate investigation onto the cause of the crash of Flight 538 and stated that the investigation should be open to the public to prevent unwanted rumors in the aftermath of the crash. Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa stated that the Transportation Department would evaluate the Indonesian airline operations in response to the crash of Flight 538 in addition to two other similar incidents which occurred on the same day.[6]

The black box was subsequently found on 1 December 2004 and was transported to the Adi Sumarmo Emergency Operations Center.[7]

A witness to the crash claimed that lightning struck the plane during its landing phase. According to him, the landing light and the interior lighting were extinguished after the strike.[2]

Lion Air "claimed responsibility" for the crash and stated that they would pay the hospital bills of the survivors.[8] However, they denied that the crash was caused by the airline's misconduct and stated that weather was the main factor. According to them, Flight 538 experienced a tailwind during its landing, which explained why the plane didn't stop. Others claimed that the brakes or the thrust reversers malfunctioned.[9]

The preliminary report was published in 2005. Investigators stated that the plane's braking system was not at its optimum level. This condition was aggravated by weather conditions during the accident. Investigators also identified a faulty thrust reverser as one of the cause of the crash; they subsequently issued several recommendations to Lion Air.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lion Air PK-LMN (Airfleets). Retrieved: 20 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lion Air Nyungsep di Solo, 23 Tewas". Suara Merdeka. Archived from the original on 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
  3. ↑ "Lion Air Terpeleset di Solo, 10 Tewas". Tempo.
  4. ↑ "31 killed in Indonesian plane crash". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  5. ↑ "Duka Menyelimuti Keluarga Dwi Mawastoro". Liputan 6.
  6. ↑ "Menhub Berjanji Mempercepat Investigasi Kecelakaan Lion Air". Liputan 6.
  7. ↑ "Kotak Hitam Pesawat Lion Air Ditemukan". Liputan 6.
  8. ↑ "Lion Air Menyatakan Bertanggung Jawab". Liputan 6.
  9. ↑ "Lion Air Membantah Menyalahi Prosedur Penerbangan". Liputan 6.
  10. ↑ "Kecelakaan Lion Air di Solo Terkuak". Liputan 6.

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