KNKT Ensures Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 Aircraft Does Not Break In The Air

DOK.VOI / Sriwijaya Air plane debris found in the Thousand Islands (Photo: Diah Ayu)

JAKARTA - The National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) has ensured that the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 aircraft did not break apart in the air, according to a number of information spread among the public. Based on his investigations, the plane was in an intact condition and hit the water.

He conveyed this in a working meeting with related parties with Commission V of the Indonesian Parliament regarding the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 accident which fell on January 9.

"There are those who say that the plane broke up before landing is not true," said KNKT Chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono in a meeting broadcast on the official Facebook of the Indonesian Parliament, Wednesday, February 3.

He explained that several parts of the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 aircraft had been found, such as aircraft instruments from the wheelhouse, main landing gear, wings, parts of the engine, parts of the passenger cabin, and the tail. According to him, these parts represent all parts of the plane from front to back.

Based on data from the joint SAR Team, the aircraft debris was spread over an area with a width of 80 meters and a length of 110 meters at a sea depth of 15 to 23 meters. So, based on this data Soerjanto ensured that the unlucky plane did not experience an explosion in the air.

"The area of distribution and the discovery of parts of the aircraft from front to back is consistent with evidence that the aircraft did not experience an explosion before hitting the water," he said.

"So the plane was intact until it hit the water and did not break in the air," added Soerjanto.

As previously reported, the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 aircraft on the Jakarta-Pontianak route lost contact in the Thousand Islands shortly after taking off from Soekarno Hatta Airport on Saturday, January 9, 2020.

Furthermore, the authorities confirmed that the plane crashed around Male Island and Lancang Island, Thousand Islands at around 14:40 WIB.

The number of passengers who took part in the unfortunate flight consisted of 56 aircraft passengers and 6 crew members. After the incident, the number of passengers who have been identified has reached 58 out of a total of 62 people.