Boeing Plane Crashed in Indonesia After Key Sensor Replaced

A relative sprinkles flowers for victims in the crashed Lion Air flight 610 aboard an Indonesia Navy ship in the waters where the airplane is believed to have crashed in Tanjung Karawang, Indonesia,Nov. 6, 2018. AP/Tatan Syuflana

JAKARTA, Indonesia—A crucial sensor was replaced on a Lion Air jet the day before it plunged into the Java Sea, and that sensor replacement may have exacerbated other problems with the plane, Indonesian investigators said Nov. 7.

That sensor, known as the “angle of attack” sensor, keeps track of the angle of the aircraft nose to help prevent the plane from stalling and diving.