Why the Lion Air Search is Skipping a Beat
Two‑Day Weather Hang‑Ups
Down in Jakarta, tragedy still looms over the Lion Air crash that took place on Oct. 29. The BBC’s first 737 MAX down‑fall claimed all 189 souls aboard, and the frantic hunt for the cockpit recorder was just getting started. Turns out the MPV Everest – an offshore supply ship brought in by Lion Air – hit a stormy snag at the Johor Bahru port.
Key Points
- Shipment was delayed 48 hours due to heavy rain and equipment mis‑mounting.
- The ship finally rolled in at the fall site Wednesday instead of the planned Monday.
- Lion Air shouldered a 38 billion rupiah ($2.6 million) cost for the search.
The Oddball Heroics of Lion Air
Typically, investigations of this sort are the job of Indonesian government agencies. For the first time, a commercial airline is footing the bill. The Transport Safety Committee (KNKT) – legally mandated to chase the missing black box – has been floundering over bureaucratic tangle and budget holes.
Why This Matters
- UN rules dictate independent probes to build trust.
- When one party pays the bill, it can muddy the waters of accountability.
- Investors worry the international community needs solid, undisputed “Thanks For the Flight” teams.
Listening for the Whisper
Locked inside the jet’s cockpit recorder (tucked in by L3 Technologies Inc) is a beacon that promises a 90‑day ping boom. Why? Because every keystroke, voice, and command can spell out clues about what went wrong.
Glimpses So Far
- The Flight Data Recorder was salvaged a mere three days after the crash, giving investigators a playback of the aircraft’s systems.
- What the crew did and how the planes behaved might crack the mystery – but the cause remains elusive.
All the world’s eyes are still on the river of black boxes, but that oil‑rich storm at Johor Bahru is a gentle reminder: Sometimes even the skies refuse to cooperate when they don’t want to hear your frantic calls. We’ll keep you posted on every turn of this journey as it unfolds.
