JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Investigators of the Oct. 28 crash of a Lion Air flight into the Java Sea say the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was deemed airworthy when it made its final takeoff from Jakarta.
The officials summoned reporters Thursday to refute reports on a news conference the day before where some media reported they had said the plane was not airworthy when it took off.
The investigators were reporting on data from the aircraft's black boxes. They say the cockpit voice recorder, which is still missing and being searched for, is needed to understand what caused the jet to plunge in the Java Sea just 11 minutes after takeoff.
Investigator Nurcahyo Utomo said that based on test results after the aircraft's problems were repaired the aircraft was declared airworthy.