Lion Air Boeing 737-800 Crashes into Sea Nearby Bali Runway
A Lion Air airplane, with flight number JT 904, that flew from Bandung (West Java) to Bali crashed into the sea just a few dozen meters away from the runway at Bali's International I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport (which is located directly next to the sea) in Denpasar. Of the 101 passengers only one passenger is in critical condition, others have sustained minor injuries. According to sources, the aircraft did not touch the runway but completely overshot it.
It remains unknown at this point what triggered the crash. At the time of landing, the weather conditions in Bali were reported to be rainy and foggy. The plane, a Boeing 737-800 NG built in 2012, had only been in operation since March 2013.
The Lion Air plane carried 95 adults, five children, one baby and seven crew members.
Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered E.E. Mangindaan, minister of Transportation, to conduct an investigation into the accident.
Lion Mentari Airlines (Lion Air) is the largest privately held airline within Indonesia. It is a low-cost carrier that controls approximately forty percent of the Indonesian aviation market. The company is one of the fastest growing airlines in the world accompanied by an aggressive expansion strategy. In November 2011, it ordered 230 aircrafts from Boeing for the combined price of USD $21.7 billion. In March 2013, Lion Air ordered a record-breaking 234 airplanes from France-based Airbus for a combined price of USD $24 billion. However, Lion Air is currently still banned from flying to the European Union due to safety concerns. In the last decade, there have been various accidents or incidents involving Lion Air planes.