Adam Air Flight 172

Adam Air Flight 172 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport to Juanda Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia. On 21 February 2007, the Boeing 737-300 operating the flight made a hard landing at Surabaya and suffered cracking of the fuselage in the middle of the passenger section. All six of Adam Air's remaining 737s were immediately grounded, though five of them were back in regular service later that year. This incident caused further concerns regarding the safety of flights operated by Adam Air, which had received much criticism after the crash of Adam Air Flight 574 on 1 January 2007.

Accident

The plane fractured upon landing at Juanda International Airport, with the fuselage breaking in the middle of the passenger section. The landing was particularly hard, with baggage being ejected from cabin lockers into the cabin space. The tail section of the plane was bent down compared to the rest of the plane. Immediately after the incident, other flights headed for the airport were diverted. Adam Air's fleet of Boeing 737-300s was grounded for safety inspections in the interim. In the night after the accident, and before the NTSC had completed its investigation, Adam Air repainted the aircraft, covering the original orange livery with a plain white exterior. The Director of Safety of Adam Air denied that the painting was intended to cover up any evidence, saying that the airline was handling the aircraft in accordance with procedures. In the immediate aftermath, some passengers cancelled their flights with Adam Air, claiming that they were worried about the aircraft at the airline. All of these cancellations were refunded in full.