Captain Bhavye Suneja, alumnus of Ahlcon Public School, hailed from Delhi’s Mayur Vihar. He joined Lion Air in 2011.
New Delhi: Captain Bhavye Suneja, the 31-year-old pilot of the Indonesian Lion Air aircraft, which crashed into the Java Sea with 188 passengers on board early Monday, was a native of Delhi’s Mayur Vihar.
An alumnus of the Ahlcon Public School in Mayur Vihar, Suneja had received his pilot license in 2009 and had even been a trainee with Emirates. He had received his pilot training at the Bel-Air International in California.
Suneja had joined Lion Air in 2011.
Bhavye’s wife was a former manager at The Indian Express.
Also read: Indonesia flight with 188 on board crashes into sea minutes after takeoff from Jakarta
Plane lost contact
The plane had lost contact with air traffic control around at 6:30 am (5 am IST), en route Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka, and it reportedly crashed into the sea about 40 metres deep.
According to sources, there were 178 adult passengers, one child and two babies, with two pilots and five flight attendants on the plane.
Flight radar24, a live online handle tracking air traffic, had tweeted an infographic Monday morning, stating that the final ADS-B data from the aircraft indicated a “high rate of descent”.
The ADS-B is surveillance technology that allows the aircraft to be tracked.
“We are downloading and processing granular ADS-B data that was transmitted by the aircraft, but preliminary data show an increase in speed and decrease in altitude at last transmission,” the flight radar further tweeted.
Boeing issues statement
Boeing, which manufactures the 737 MAX 8 that crashed, has issued a statement promising assistance to the investigation.
“The Boeing Company is deeply saddened by the loss of Flight JT 610,” the statement read. “We express our concern for those on board, and extend heartfelt sympathies to their families and loved ones.
“Boeing stands ready to provide technical assistance to the accident investigation. In accordance with international protocol, all inquiries about aviation accident investigations must be directed to Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC),” it further stated.
The Max 8 is an updated version of the single-aisle Boeing 737. It had CFM Leap-1B engines, larger cockpit displays, advanced technology split winglets and a new tail cone. Lion Air unit Batik Air was the launch operator for the Max 8 in 2016.
The aircraft that crashed Monday was delivered to Lion Air in August this year.
Tragic. Na jaane kis gali mein zindagi ki shaam ho jaaye. So many souls commended to the Lord.