The cargo plane involved in the Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October , which killed 189 people , " was no longer airworthy and it should not have kept flying " , investigators said . Information collected from the flight's "black box" data recorder shows that the pilots struggled to control the airplane as an automatic anti-stall safety system kept pushing the plane's nose down. The aircraft 's anti - stall safety system apparently failed , but a preliminary report also cited airline safety as another factor . Pilots on the plane 's penultimate flight reported the same anti - stall problem , and it had experienced air - condition ##er and sensor malfunctions , but Lion Air had deemed the aircraft safe to continue flying . The transport safety committee advised Lion Air , which has a chequered record , to improve its safety procedures and culture .
The cargo plane involved in the Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October , which killed 189 people , " was no longer airworthy and it should not have kept flying " , investigators said . The aircraft 's anti - stall safety system apparently failed , but a preliminary report also cited airline safety as another factor . Pilots on the plane 's penultimate flight reported the same anti - stall problem , and it had experienced air - condition ##er and sensor malfunctions , but Lion Air had deemed the aircraft safe to continue flying . The transport safety committee advised Lion Air , which has a chequered record , to improve its safety procedures and culture .