Originally presented on Tuesday 5th April 2022 to the RAeS Boscombe Down Branch.
Lion Air JT610 departed Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta Indonesia for Depati Amir Airport, Pangkal Pinang on 29th October 2018 at 6:20 AM local time. As the aircraft passed through 2,000 ft during initial climb-out, the nose suddenly pitched downwards and the crew attempted recovery. At 6:32 AM, the aircraft crashed into the sea with an airspeed in excess of 400 knots. All 189 persons on board lost their lives.
This fatal accident was a loss of control in flight (LOC-I) or “unintended deviation from flightpath”. LOC-I has been the number one category of fatal accident type over the last 60 years. Aircraft technology has seen significant development over this period with a corresponding reduction in fatal accident rate, yet LOC-I still persists. With technological advancements how could an accident like this have happened? In this online lecture, Dr Mike Bromfield and Captain Nils Jamieson will explore contributory and causal factors and what is proposed to prevent future occurrences.