Post date: Apr 13, 2013 3:22:39 PM
Survivors of the Lion Air Boeing 737 plane crash say there was "no warning" that anything was wrong with the plane.
TUBAN, BALI PROVINCE, INDONESIA (APRIL 13, 2013) (REUTERS) - All 108 passengers and crew miraculously survived when a Lion AirBoeing 737 missed the runway on the balmy Indonesian resort island of Bali on Saturday (April 13) and landed in the sea.
People gathered around the scene of the crash and some waded into the water to gather pieces of the aircraft wreckage.Passengers said there was no emergency warning from the plane crew before the crash.
"There was no warning that something wrong with the plane. Before the accident, the crew told us they were preparing to land and asked us to put the safety belt. Suddenly I heard a loud noise and I found out we were next to the runway and on the water," said Andis Prasetyo, a survivor.
Another survivor added that there was "no emergency sign or warning at all".
All 108 passengers and crew survived the crash.
Forty people were treated for injuries including broken legs, head wounds and shock, though only four were admitted to hospital, hospital officials said.
Passengers were taken to hotels and several passengers were still being treated at three hospitals. An investigation has been launched.
Budget carrier Lion Air is Indonesia's largest airline and is rapidly expanding.
"Aircraft with flight number JT904 from Bandung, heading to Denpasar, was about to land in Denpasar but failed to reach the runway," said Lion Air spokesman,Edward Sirait at a news conference in capital Jakarta.
"There were 101 people on board, 95 adults, five children, an infant and seven aircrew," said Sirait
The brand new aircraft had flown from Bandung, in West Java, and was about to land at Bali airport. Sirait said the aircraft has just arrived in Jakarta last month.
"The aircraft was feasible and the pilot was allowed to fly the aircraft. He is healthy now," said Sirait. Asked why the plane broke into two, he said he had "no idea".
The company has signed two record contracts with two world's top plane makers, Boeing and Airbus Last month, it signed a deal with Airbus for 234 passenger jets worth a $24 billion. Two years ago, it signed a deal with Boeing for 230 planes.
Indonesia has been struggling to improve its civil air safety after a string of deadly accidents. In 2007, Lion Air was among a number of Indonesian airlines banned by the EU for lax safety standards. The ban was progressively lifted, starting in 2009.
The runway at Bali international airport starts next to the sea. The island isIndonesia's main tourist destination, especially popular with the Australians for its surfing.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, Lion Air planes have been involved in six accidents since 2002, four of them involving Boeing 737s. Only one of them, according to the site, resulted in fatalities.