Lion Air crash: Flight 610 was not airworthy before disaster that killed 189, Indonesian investigators say | London Evening Standard

Lion Air crash: Flight 610 was not airworthy before disaster that killed 189, Indonesian investigators sayRescuers use crane to retrieve part of the landing gears of the crashed Lion Air jetAP

The Lion Air jet that plunged into the sea killing 189 people was not airworthy and should have been grounded, investigators have said.

It suffered similar technical issues during a flight the day before, the head of Indonesia’s transport safety committee (KNKT) said.

An investigation into the disaster found the pilots struggled to keep control as the aircraft’s safety system pushed its nose down.

Whether the faulty information from sensors led the plane’s system to force the nose dive is a focus of the ongoing investigation.

National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) sub-committee head for air accidents, Nurcahyo Utomo, holds a model airplane while speaking during a news conferenceREUTERS

Expert investigators found that Lion Air must improve its safety culture and better document repair work on its planes.

And they ruled that the plane was not air-worthy before the doomed flight took off from Jakarta.

Nurcahyo Utomo, head of KNKT, confirmed the latest in the investigation on Tuesday.

Forensic officers stand by a damaged tyre from last month's fatal Lion Air crash Reuters

He told a news conference: “This is the basis of our recommendation to Lion Air.

“In our view, the plane was not airworthy.”

Peter Lemme, an aviation expert and a former Boeing engineer, wrote an analysis of the latest data in his blog.

Lemme described "a deadly game of tag" in which the plane pointed down which the pilots countered by manually aiming the nose higher.

The sequence repeated about five seconds later, Lemme said. And this happened 26 times during the 11-minute flight, but pilots failed to recognise what was happening.

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The crew of the fatal flight were apparently not warned that similar problems occurred on previous journeys.

"Had they fixed the airplane, we would not have had the accident," Lemme said. "Every accident is a combination of events, so there is disappointment all around here.”

Boeing spokesman Charles Bickers said the company is "taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this accident."

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The company said last week that it remains confident in the safety of the 737 MAX and had given airlines around the world two updates to "re-emphasise existing procedures for these situations."

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Lion Air Flight 610. We extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the families and loved ones of those onboard. We will analyse any additional information as it becomes available," the company said in a statement.