A Lion Air jetliner, flying on a domestic route with 174 passengers and seven crew members onboard, skidded off a runway at Djalaluddin Airport (GTO) in Gorontalo, Indonesia, on April 29, 2018. No casualties were reported, but the airport remained closed for 16 hours, as emergency crews attempted to remove the damaged plane from the runway.
Lion Air’s Boeing 737-800 narrow-body jetliner – powered by CFM-56 turbofan engines – took off at 5:29 a.m. local time from Hasanuddin International Airport (UPG) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, and landed at 6:35 p.m. at Djalaluddin Airport when it skidded off the runway and ran into grass.
Following the incident, the airport had to be closed to remove a part of the body of the plane laying on the side of the runway, said Power Silaholo, head of management at Djalaludin Airport. Silaholo also said the aircraft would be cleared from the runway by the next day, April 30, 2018, The Jakarta Post reports. Meanwhile, all flights to Gorontalo were being redirected to Manado, North Sulawesi.
Although it was reportedly raining when the incident occurred, Silaholo assured the visibility for landing was in accordance with the required standards. Similarly, the airline also issued a statement in which it agreed that visibility was line with landing requirements and rain conditions. However, Silaholo also noted that the aircraft’s front landing gear was severely damaged. The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) will now examine the cause of the incident, Indonesian media channel Tempo.co writes.
No serious injuries were reported on flight JT892 that had 174 passengers and seven crew, as a result of the incident. All passengers and crew have been evacuated safely, the airline noted. However, two passengers did require medical attention due to having fallen unconscious. They were referred to the hospital and have been treated for medical treatment, according to Lion Air.
Lion Air has been committed to Boeing‘s 737 MAX family. The carrier is the launch customer for the 737 MAX 9 and took its very first delivery of the aircraft on March 21, 2018. Recently, the airline placed the largest incremental order of the new 737 MAX 10 by purchasing 50 of the aircraft on April 10, 2018, in a deal valued at around $6.24 billion at list prices.
Source – AeroTime
