Fuel-saving speculation over Garuda crash
JAKARTA: There is speculation today that a bid to save fuel may have played a part in the crash of a Garuda Indonesia 737 in Yogyakarta last month that killed 21 people.
A preliminary crash report has indicated that the Garuda plane was travelling at more than 400kph – almost twice the normal speed – when it hit the runway.
Mechanical failure and poor weather have been ruled out as possible causes of the accident, leaving crash investigators to focus on the state of mind of the pilot, Capt. Marwoto Komar.
It has been revealed that a new Garuda Indonesia policy pays pilots a three per cent bonus if they conserve fuel, leading some to speculate that this policy could compromise safety.
“Maybe the captain wanted to save the fuel – this could be investigated,” said Capt.Geraldus Stephanus, head of the Garuda pilots’ association.
ABC Online reported that the man leading the investigation into the crash said a longer runway safety area at Yogyakarta airport might have reduced the impact.
The crash-landing of Garuda flight 200 may not have been preventable, but the impact could have been “less severe” if international recommendations for safety areas at the end of runways were followed, Indonesia’s National Safety Transport Committee’s chief investigator Marjono Siswosuwarno said.
The access roads for emergency vehicles at Yogyakarta’s airport were also criticised by the committee in its preliminary report on the crash investigation.
Fences had prevented fire trucks from reaching the burning plane, which crashed across a road at the end of the runway.
Ian Jarrett
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