Indonesia to guard its black box crash secrets
JAKARTA – in another blow to Indonesia’s poor reputation for airline safety, the chief pilot of a Boeing 737 that crashed in Yogyakarta on March 7, killing 21 passengers ignored 15 alarm bells as the plane came in to land too quickly, a report has found.
The 737 exploded into flames in a rice field after skidding off the end of the runway in Yogyakarta, Central Java.
The report, which produced evidence from the aircraft’s black box, also criticised the aircraft’s co-pilot and the emergency services at Yogyakarta airport.
But Indonesia’s National Transport Safety Committee chairman Tatang Kurniadi told AFP that the report was aimed a preventing further accidents, and was not to be used as the basis for any legal action over the March crash.
Kurniadi said the committee would not hand over any evidence gained from the plane’s flight recorders to help the police investigation. ?
AFP said police are continuing to investigate the crash and have interviewed the pilots, who survived by scrambling out of the cockpit.
Investigators found the pilot had landed despite a flood of warnings.
“During the approach, the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alerts and warnings sounded 15 times, and the co-pilot called for the pilot in command to go around,” the report found.
“The aircraft was flown at an excessive air speed and steep flight path angle during the approach and landing, resulting in an unstabilised approach.
“The pilot in command did not follow company procedures that required him to fly a stabilised approach, and he did not abort the landing and go around when the approach was not stabilised.
“His attention was fixated or channelised on landing the aircraft on the runway and he either did not hear, or disregarded the GPWS alerts, and warnings, and calls from the co-pilot to go around.”
The investigation also found the co-pilot did not follow company procedures and take control of the plane when he saw the pilot repeatedly ignore the alerts and warnings.
Garuda records also showed no evidence that the pilots had been trained to respond appropriately to the warnings.
The investigation also found Yogyakarta airport’s fire fighting service was unable to reach the accident site and some vehicles lacked necessary equipment.
“The delay in extinguishing the fire, and the lack of appropriate fire suppressant agents, may have significantly reduced survivability,” the report said.
“The airport emergency plan and its implementation were less than effective.”
Ian Jarrett
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