Behind the Crash of a New Aircraft

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Officers inspect the belongings of victims of flight JT-610 at the command post on the Basarnas field at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta on Monday (29/10/2018).

One major fact that brings so many questions in the crash of Lion Air flight JT-610 is that the aircraft was brand new. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is new not just for Lion Air but also for its US-based manufacturer  the Boeing Company.

The 737 MAX series was first introduced by Boeing in 2011 as the latest generation of its 737 series – the most successful commercial aircraft series of all time. The new planes were touted to have higher fuel efficiency and improved structure, aerodynamics and avionics.

Lion Air Group has long expressed its interest in them. According to an official Boeing statement, Lion Air Group ordered 201 737 MAX aircraft on Nov. 17, 2011, less than two months after it was officially announced.

Lion Air Group\'s first 737 MAX 8 was delivered to the group’s Malaysian subsidiary Malindo Air on May 6, 2017. Lion Air Group also became a launch customer of the 737 MAX 9.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 with registration code PK-LQP that crashed off the coast of Karawang on Monday (29/10/2018) was the 10^th 737 MAX to be operated by Lion Air. Lion Air CEO Edward Sirait said the aircraft had been delivered to Lion Air on Aug. 13, 2018, and began operation two days later.

How could a new plane crash? It is too early to determine the exact cause. However, this is not the first time that a brand new plane has crashed.

Not the first time

We vividly remember the tragic crash of the Sukhoi Superjet (SSJ) 100 on Mount Salak in West Java on May 9, 2012, which claimed 45 lives. The aircraft was on a demonstration flight. Several local airlines had expressed interest in buying the Russian plane.

Another accident that grabbed global attention was the crash of Air France AF296 during the Habsheim Air Show at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport, France, on June 26, 1988. It was the first passenger flight for the Airbus A320 aircraft and the first public demonstration of any civilian fly-by-wire aircraft.

Another air crash involving Air France was the AF447 crash in the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009, which claimed 228 lives. The aircraft was Air France’s newest Airbus A330-200, and had been in operation for only four years.

Aircraft innovation is backed by the latest designs and technology to maximize passenger safety. However, these various accidents remind us that, no matter how perfect our technology may be, we should never ignore the various dangers that may lie ahead.