Boeing 737 passenger jet VANISHES over sea after 'falling 10,000ft'

Boeing 737 jet with 50 passengers onboard VANISHES over sea after ‘falling 10,000ft’ on takeoff from Indonesian capital Jakarta

  • The Sriwijaya Air plane took off from Jakarta and was heading to Pontianak
  • Lost contact with control room after takeoff, according to local media reports
  • Plane is understood to have fallen 10,000 feet in less than 60 seconds  

A Boeing 737 passenger jet carrying 50 passengers has disappeared over the sea after plummeting 10,000 feet shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, reports claim. 

The Sriwijaya Air plane took off from the Indonesian capital on Saturday and was heading to Pontianak in West Kalimantan province when it lost contact with the control room, according to local media reports.

The plane – believed to be a Boeing B737-500 – is understood to have fallen 10,000 feet in less than 60 seconds just four minutes after it took off. 

Flightradar24 tweeted: ‘We are following reports of a missing Boeing 737-500 in Indonesia. We hope to have more information soon.’

A Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 passenger jet (file image of a similar plane) carrying 50 passengers has disappeared over the sea after plummeting 10,000 feet shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, reports claim

Indonesian airline Sriwijaya Air is still is still getting more information before issuing a statement. 

Indonesia’s transport ministry said on Saturday: ‘A Sriwijaya (Air) plane from Jakarta to Pontianak (on Borneo island) with call sign SJY182 has lost contact,’ said ministry spokesman Adita Irawati.

‘It last made contact at 2:40 pm (0740 GMT).’

The reported disappearance comes just over two years after a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX plunged into the sea after taking off in Indonesia. 

Lion Air’s flight JT-610 was heading to Pangkal Pinang, an island north of Jakarta, when it lost contact with air control on October 29 – just 13 minutes after take-off.

The crash left all 189 people onboard dead and has been blamed on a combination of aircraft design flaws, inadequate training and maintenance problems.

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