26-year-old 737-500 out of Jakarta disappears in Java SeaAnother instance of black box data recovery appears to be necessary after a flight out of Jakarta ended in an explosion and breakup in the Java Sea.
USA Today: "A search and rescue operation is underway Saturday after a Boeing passenger jet carrying 62 people lost contact with air traffic controllers after taking off from Indonesia’s capital on a domestic flight, officials said.
Sriwijaya Air flight #SJ182, a Boeing 737-500, took off from Jakarta at about 1:56 p.m. local time and lost contact with the control tower at 2:40 p.m., said Indonesian Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati.
The plane's route was estimated to be a 90-minute flight to Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province on Indonesia’s Borneo island. There were 56 passengers and six crew members on board.
“The missing plane is currently under investigation and under coordination with the National Search and Rescue Agency and the National Transportation Safety Committee,” Irawati said in a statement.
BBC: "A passenger plane with an estimated 62 people on board has gone missing shortly after take-off from the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
The Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 lost contact en route to Pontianak in West Kalimantan province, officials said.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24.com said the aircraft had lost more than 3,000m (10,000ft) in altitude in less than a minute.
Witnesses said they had seen and heard at least one explosion.
Fisherman Solihin, who goes by one name, told the BBC Indonesian service he had witnessed a crash and his captain decided to return to land.
"The plane fell like lightning into the sea and exploded in the water," he said.
"It was pretty close to us, the shards of a kind of plywood almost hit my ship."
A number of residents of an island near where the plane disappeared told the BBC they had found objects they thought were from the plane."
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55601909 My condolences to the families and friends of those lost.