Indonesian investigators focus on engine control in Boeing crash

The investigation into last month’s Sriwijaya Air crash in Indonesia is focusing on the engine-control system of the Boeing 737-500 jet, potentially dealing another blow to the US manufacturing giant as it emerges from the global grounding of its 737 Max following two other fatal crashes. While Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee is still trying to determine the exact cause of the crash, the left engine throttle lever was trimming back the power output just before the 26-year-old jet plunged into the sea, according to a family member who attended a briefing given by the regulator in Jakarta on Tuesday. “The NTSC hasn’t reached any conclusion on the cause of the crash, but they did say that there was an uncommanded backward movement of the left throttle lever while the autopilot was in operation,” said Rafik Alaydrus, who lost his wife in the disaster. NTSC Chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono and lead investigator Nurcahyo Utomo didn’t immediately respond to messages and calls seeking comment. <br/>