A video has begun to circulate on YouTube showing the aftermath of an incident that resulted in damage to an airport building in South Papua, Indonesia.
An investigation has been launched into what went wrong after an Indonesian Lion Air plane damaged the roof of the building while attempting to take off. The building appeared to be part of the terminal.
The incident happened at the Mopah Merauke Airport on Thursday according to a report by the Indonesian newspaper Republika.
During take off the wing of the aircraft hit the building, causing damage to the roof as well as the plane. It is not clear whether anybody was hurt in the crash.
A video of the damage to the roof and the aircraft has been uploaded to YouTube.
Corporate Communications Strategic manager at Lion Air, Danang Mandala Prihantoro, has released a statement about the incident and said an investigation is being launched.
In the statement, per Republika, he said: "Following up on the incident, currently Lion Air and the relevant authorities are conducting further investigations.
"Lion Air operates a Boeing 737-900ER with registration PK-LFO, prior to the departure of the aircraft, an earlier inspection was carried out with the result that it was feasible and safe to operate.
"After service preparations and ground handling are complete, the aircraft gets ready and begins to move slowly in the aircraft parking area."
He added that it appeared the right wing tip of the aircraft had clipped the airport building as the aircraft attempted to take off. The aircraft is built to carry seven crew members and hold 122 passengers.
Danang noted that during this process an obstacle occurred and the pilot decided to return to the parking point for inspection. It is believed that it is during this that the plane wing struck the airport.
All passengers were then directed and lowered to the departure terminal where they were instructed to wait for more information.
He closed by offering an apology to those inconvenienced by the crash.
According to Statista, the overall trend in air travel is seeing a reduction in the number of fatalities.
The report said: "According to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, air traffic fatalities refer to an incident where a person is fatally injured due to an occurrence associated with the operation of the aircraft.
"This definition covers any time from when the first person starts boarding to when the final person disembarks the plane. Corporate jet and military transport accidents are generally excluded.
"The overall trend downward in air travel fatalities is notable given that the volume of passenger air traffic has increased by more than 66 percent since 2004.
"Indeed, when considered in terms of the number of accidents per distance travelled, air travel is statistically the safest form of transport. For example, in both the United States and the United Kingdom, air travel is many thousands of times safer than the most dangerous form of travel, motorcycle riding."
Uncommon Knowledge
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About the writer
Gerrard Kaonga is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter and is based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on U.S. ... Read more
