Yogyakarta crash pilot "in custody"
JAKARTA – Indonesian police have reportedly charged the Garuda captain who was piloting a Boeing 737 that crashed at Yogyakarta Airport last year, killing 21 people, including five Australians.
Captain Marwoto Komar was detained by police overnight after a 10 hour interrogation.
The ABC today reported Captain Komar had been charged with six counts of manslaughter, for which he faces up to seven years in jail.
Captain Komar attempted to land the 737 at nearly double the safe speed on March 7 last year. It overshot the runway and burst into flames.
An air safety inquiry report issued by Indonesia’s National Transport Safety Committee in November said Captain Komar ignored 15 automatic warnings not to land.
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 said the report was aimed a preventing further accidents, and was not to be used as the basis for any legal action over the crash.
At the time, Kurniadi said the committee would not hand over any evidence gained from the plane’s flight recorders to help the police investigation.
Captian Komar’s co-pilot is understood to have provided evidence against him for the police enquiry.
Captain Komar’s lawyers claim pilots should not have to face criminal charges for a “mistake”.
Pilots’ associations around the world have taken a similar line, claiming prosecution of pilots involved in accidents would not be helpful in finding the causes of accidents and preventing further mishaps.
Report from ABC and TravelMole
Ian Jarrett
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