Garuda crash pilot to face trial
JAKARTA – The trial of a pilot charged with crashing a Garuda plane last year, killing 21 people, will proceed next week.
After considering preliminary arguments from prosecutors and lawyers for the Indonesian pilot, who has pleaded not guilty, a judge said the case would proceed.
An Indonesian government enquiry found that Garuda pilot Marwoto Komar ignored 15 automated cockpit warnings not to land as he brought the plane in at roughly twice the safe speed, causing the jet to bounce and burst into flames in nearby rice fields.
When Komar entered his plea last month, he said that with 22 years’ experience as a pilot he would not have deliberately crashed the plane.
Komar’s lawyer said he was surprised by the judge’s decision and that the court should consider international civil aviation codes, which rule out criminal liability for pilots in crashes.
Prosecutors charged Komar with three counts of negligence and one count of “deliberately†destroying or damaging an aircraft causing death, charges that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Garuda sacked Komar in February.
Ian Jarrett
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