It hasn't been a great few weeks for Lion Air. Following the major incident when a B737-MAX crashed shortly after takeoff, another Lion Air B737 has sustained damage. The aircraft suffered a similar fate to a Boeing 777 owned by Cathay Pacific back in August, by striking a pole with its wing. Thankfully nobody was injured in the latest incident, however, the plane was occupied during the incident. News of the latest Lion Air 737 accident comes at a time when the airline could do without having to deal with additional incidents.

Left Wing Damage

The left wing of the B737-900ER was damaged as the aircraft was being prepared for departure. Following pushback, the aircraft was being directed by an aircraft movement controller. It appears as though nobody was walking alongside the wing as it was damaged by the pole. Unfortunately, due to the design of the wings, poles will cut through them like a knife through hot butter.

This meant that flight JT633 from Bengluku to Jakarta was delayed. The 143 passengers and 7 crew members were transferred to a new aircraft to continue their journey to Jakarta without incident. An Indonesian official confirmed that the aircraft's two pilots had been grounded as is standard after an incident.

Lion Air Statement

A statement issued by Lion Air contained the following: “The Boeing 737-900ER registered PK-LGY which was due to take off at 18.20 from Bengkulu, the departure was cancelled. When the plane was moving towards the runway, the wingtips knocked over the airport's parking lot pole, which broke. The aircraft was controlled by a pilot with guidance and instructions as well as signs given by Aircraft Movement Control (AMC) officers."

The statement went on to say: "The AMC officer is a person from the airport management and is being examined by the relevant party.  JT-633 flights carry seven flight crew and 143 passengers. They have departed using a different aircraft registration PK-LHM. The aircraft took off at 22.48 West Indonesia Time from Bengkulu and landed at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport at 23:50.”

Second Incident This Month

The JT-633 incident is the second Lion Air 737 accident to happen this month. The first saw a fully loaded B737-MAX plunge into the ocean. As a result, Boeing has issued an emergency airworthiness directive. It seems as though a problem with the Angle of Attack indicator could have caused the B737 to rapidly lower its nose. Boeing is aware of the issue prompting the announcement yesterday.

What do you make of the latest Lion Air incident? Will this put you off using the airline? Let us know in the comments down below!