The Lion Air plane crashed into the water after missing the runway in Bali (Picture: EPA)Air crash investigators have found one of two flight data recorders from the wreckage of the plane that crashed into the sea in Bali on Saturday.
They hope the recorder will help determine what caused the Boeing 737-800 passenger jet to overshoot the runway and crash.
All 101 passengers and seven crew members safely escaped from the Lion Air plane, although up to 45 people suffered injuries.
Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan confirmed aviation authorities had removed a flight data recorder from the aircraft.
Salvage crews are now hoping to tow the aircraft and retrieve its cockpit voice recorder.
The fuselage of the recently purchased plane was fractured during the crash.
‘The aircraft was about to land in Bali Ngurah Rai Airport but it probably failed to reach the runway and fell into the sea,’ said a Lion Air spokesman.
An injured passenger arrives at hospital in Kedonganan, Bali, after the Lion Air plane crashed into the sea (Picture: EPA/Made Nagi)Survivor Santi Widiastuti said: ‘I don’t know how this accident happened. I just heard a notification that the aircraft would be landing soon.
‘Not long after that notice, I heard a loud noise like a plane crashing into something. Suddenly, from under the deck, water began to enter the plane. All happened so fast.’
A passenger who suffered head injuries in the crash added: ‘The aircraft was in landing position when suddenly I saw it getting closer to the sea and finally it hit the water.
‘All of the passengers were screaming in panic in fear they would drown. I left behind my belongings and went to an emergency door.’
A rescue worker stands at the doorway of a crashed Lion Air plane in Bali (Picture: AP)Lion Air is a leading budget air carrier in Indonesia and has recently signed record contracts with both of the world’s leading planemakers, Boeing and Airbus.
Indonesia has been struggling to improve its civil air safety after a string of deadly accidents.
In 2007, Lion Air was among a number of Indonesian airlines banned by the EU for lax safety standards. The ban was progressively lifted, starting in 2009.
The stricken Boeing 737 lies on the water after it overshot the runway in Bali (Picture: AFP/Getty)
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