KRI Rigel-933 Lowered The Magnetometer To Detect Debris From The Sriwijaya Air Sj-182 Aircraft

Joint Navy (AL) personnel lower the magnetometer from the top of KRI Rigel-933, Tuesday 12 January. (Fauzi Lamboka / Antara)

JAKARTA - Combined Indonesian Navy (AL) personnel from above KRI Rigel-933 lowered a metal detector (magnetometer) to detect the wreckage of the Sriwijaya Air plane that crashed in the waters of the Thousand Islands, DKI Jakarta.

According to Antara's observation at KRI Rigel-933, Tuesday, the device was shaped like a rocket with a length of about 1.5 meters. The device is equipped with sensors to detect metal under the water's surface.

When lowered, the device was equipped with a 20 meter long cable to record the underwater data readings from the control room.

After placing it in the water, the device is then pulled to rotate over the location where the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 plane allegedly crashed.

The fuselage containing metal can be read through the tool. It is hoped that the data from the reading of the tool can be used as additional data to search for aircraft black boxes.

The Sriwijaya Air plane with registration number PK-CLC with flight number SJ-182 on the Jakarta-Pontianak route lost contact on Saturday, January 9 at 14:40 WIB and crashed between Lancang Island and Male Island, Thousand Islands, DKI Jakarta.

The Boeing 737-500 aircraft lost contact at a position 11 nautical miles north of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten, after passing an altitude of 11,000 feet and at the time of increasing its altitude at 13,000 feet.

The plane took off from Soekarno-Hatta Airport at 14:36 WIB. The schedule was delayed from the previous flight schedule at 13.35 WIB due to weather factors.

Based on manifest data, the aircraft produced in 1994 carried 62 people consisting of 50 passengers and 12 crew members. Of these, 40 adults, seven children and three babies. Meanwhile, the 12 crew consists of six active crews and six extra crews.

The existence of the plane was being searched by the National SAR Agency (Basarnas) and the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT). Direct coordination is carried out with various parties, including the Police, TNI and the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta.