Sriwijaya Air B737 crashes after take-off Jakarta
Sadly after a long time we have a major hull loss to report...
On 9 January 2021, Sriwijaya Air's Boeing 737-500 PK-CLC (msn 27323, a former Continental Airlines 737) was initially reported as missing, not long after take-off from Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Indonesia). The Boeing was operating flight SJ182 to Pontianak Airport, also in Indonesia.
CLC took off from runway 35R at 14:35 hours local time in the afternoon and made a climbing right hand turn. It crossed the shoreline at 14:39 and reached an altitude of about FL110 before entering a rapid descent and losing all radar and communication contact. On board where 56 passengers. At the time of impact the rate of descent was well over 20,000 feet per minute.
A search and rescue operation was started immediately which eventually led to the discovery of debris in the Jakarta Bay. Residents of the islands nearby (Thousand Islands) were out on the sea in two boats when they heard two explosions, then found debris afloat at the sea. It was raining at that time. The residents returned to their islands about two hours later and reported to police.
At the time of the accident bad weather was in the area, with rainshowers and thunderstorms, which could have played a part in the mishap.
Photo courtesy of AirHistory.net, taken by Leslie Snelleman