Lion Air Jet Struck the Water at High Speed\, Investigator Says

Lion Air Jet Struck the Water at High Speed, Investigator Says

Aircraft ‘disintegrated’ after impact, according to the investigator, who said only small pieces of debris have been found

The deadly crash of a Lion Air Boeing 737 aircraft in Indonesia is one of the worst aviation catastrophes of 2018. The WSJ looks at some big questions that have emerged as investigators try to determine the cause of the crash. Photo: AP Images
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JAKARTA, Indonesia—A Lion Air jet with 189 people on board hit the surface of the Java Sea with enough speed that it “disintegrated” upon impact, the lead investigator said Wednesday.

Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry meanwhile ordered the budget carrier to suspend its technical director pending a probe into what is the first major accident involving the Boeing 737 Max 8, the latest variant of the popular single-aisle 737.

Since...