Throttle Problem Suspected in Indonesia Jet Crash that Killed 62

Feb. 10—JAKARTA — An Indonesian passenger jet that crashed into the sea last month with 62 people on board had problems with its automatic throttle system, investigators said on Wednesday.

The Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500's left engine throttle lever trimmed back, resulting in less engine power, while the right one jammed just before the aircraft crashed on January 9, said Nurcahyo Utomo, an investigator at Indonesia's National Transportation Agency.

"Both throttle levers showed anomalies," Nurcahyo said at a news conference announcing a preliminary report on the accident.

"We are still investigating what went wrong because there are 13 components connected to the throttle."

Nurcahyo said pilots reported that the throttle system malfunctioned on January 3 and 4 but the problems had been reported as successfully fixed.

The previous month, an airspeed indicator was damaged but was replaced, he said

A full report on the crash is expected early next year.

Nurcahyo said the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder, which is still missing, could provide more answers on what happened during the doomed flight.

All but four of the 62 victims have been identified, the airline said.

The crash is the third involving an Indonesian budget airline since 2014.

An AirAsia Indonesia flight carrying 162 people crashed into the Java Sea off Borneo island shortly after take-off on 28 December 2014 with no survivors.

In October 2018, a Boeing 737 MAX belonging to Indonesia's largest budget carrier Lion Air crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 189 people on board.

Indonesia, which is made up of thousands of islands, experienced a boom in low-cost carriers following the liberalization of the aviation industry in the early 2000s.

In 2018, the European Union lifted a ban on Indonesian airlines, which was imposed in 2007 following a string of deadly air accidents.

Several Indonesian airlines, including flag carrier Garuda, were taken off the EU's ban list in 2009 after steps were taken to improve safety.

In 2017, the International Civil Aviation Organization ranked Indonesia's aviation safety as above global average, with a compliance rate of 81.15 per cent.

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