Flooded runway cause of Lion Air accident in 2004 - report

Airline Industry Information, Feb 11, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

A flooded runway was the cause of a crash in Indonesia in 2004, according to officials from Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Board.

In November 2004 a Boeing MD-82 aircraft operated by Lion Air that was carrying 141 passengers and five crew members crashed into a concrete structure at the Solo airport. The crash killed 26 people aboard the aircraft and many more were injured. According to the conclusions from the investigation report prepared by the safety board, the aircraft skidded off the runway which was flooded due to a tropical rainstorm just before.

According to The Associated Press, the runway was covered in water at the time and "slippery as ice". The excess water has been found to have been caused by a blocked drain and the resulting pool of water made the aircraft skid off the runway, while a strong wind contributed to the effect.

((Comments on this story may be sent to aii.feedback@m2.com))