In George’s Point of View

As I stand here on the balcony of my Cancun suite snapping a video of a gathering far below on the beach, the force of the wind off the ocean nearly knocks me off my feet.

Yes, my Air Crash Consultant mind is at work, even when I’m relaxing on a vacation.

I can’t help but think of the Lion Air Boeing that came down on approach to Ngurah Rai Airport and cracked in two on impact with the ocean. It didn’t fall far in terms of being a plane. I have heard it was flying 100 feet below where it should have been, which makes me wonder if the same winds that are knocking me over contributed to the crash. Trust the investigation to uncover the truth of what made this brand new plane to be a write off. It’s still a miracle of engineering that there were no fatalities, and only 45 injuries, and of those, only five still hospitalized one day later.

The NTSB is joining the investigation, important enough news that it is announced on a Sunday.

The NTSB is sending a team of investigators to assist the government of Indonesia on its accident investigation of a Lion Air Boeing 737-800.

On April 13, 2013 at about 3:15 p.m. local time, the airplane crashed on approach to Ngurah Rai Airport, due to unknown circumstances. There were no fatalities reported.

As the U.S. is the state of design and manufacture of the Boeing 737, NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman has appointed Senior Air Safety Investigator Dennis Jones as the traveling U.S. accredited representative. Dennis Jones is leading a team of investigators specializing in airplane structures, systems, and survival factors, as well as advisers from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing.

The investigation is being conducted by the Indonesia National Transportation Safety Committee which will release all information.