Lion Air crash: Jet had airspeed problems on final four flights

A passenger jet that crashed into the sea near Indonesia last week had an airspeed indicator problem on its final four flights, officials say.

The damage to the device, which tells pilots how fast their planes are travelling, was revealed after the recovery of a "black box" recorder.

Lion Air flight JT 610, carrying 189 people, crashed soon after taking off from Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.

Angry relatives confronted Indonesian officials at a conference on Monday.

They wanted to know why the plane was allowed to fly and demanded there be no let up in recovery efforts. The cause of the crash is still unclear.

"We are the victims here. Imagine if you were in our position," said Najib Fuquoni, a relative of a victim.

At one point, families demanded that Lion Air's founder, Rusdi Kirana, who attended the meeting, stand up.

He did not speak but clasped his hands in prayer and bowed his head.

The jet plummeted into the Java Sea - no survivors have been found, nor has the body of the Boeing 737.

The plane was making a one-hour journey to the western city of Pangkal Pinang when it went down.

The pilot had asked air traffic control for permission to turn back to the airport but then contact was lost.