Airport infrastructure and staff training found lacking

Panel makes safety recommendations ahead of final report on Yogyakarta crash
The Straits Times, April 12, 2007
By Devi Asmarani, INDONESIA CORRESPONDENT


JAKARTA - A COMMITTEE investigating the crash of a Garuda jet in Yogyakarta airport wants to see improvements to airport infrastructure and personnel.

Indonesia's Committee for Air Transport Safety (KNKT) issued a five-point recommendation yesterday when it officially announced its preliminary findings into the March 7 crash.

The Sydney Morning Herald, which had earlier reported the committee's findings on Saturday, cited pilot error as the main cause of the crash.

But when the committee announced the findings, it did not disclose the cause of the accident, saying it would need another four months to complete the final report and determine the probable cause.

However, the committee denied there were arguments between the pilot and the co-pilot shortly before the crash.

The preliminary report said the Boeing 737 was travelling too fast at an angle that was too steep to land before it slammed hard on the runway in Yogyakarta and careened off the end of the airstrip.

The plane burst into flames, killing 21 of the 102 passengers, including five Australians.

The report said the safety run-off section at the end of the airport runway was only a quarter of the 240m length recommended under international aviation standards.

Although the plane was already going too fast, the insufficient run-off area might have contributed to the severity of the accident, said KNKT chief investigator Marjono Siswosuwarno.

Similarly, the airport was not well equipped to handle an emergency of such a scale, he said.

Fire units were hampered by a high fence and a steep road, and rescue efforts had to be delayed as they struggled to reach the crash site, said the chief of the country's Transport Safety Commission, Mr Tatang Kurniadi.

The airport crew were also not following standard emergency plans and appeared untrained to handle accidents outside of the airport perimeter.

'This shows that emergency training at the airport had not been conducted effectively,' Mr Tatang said.

In its recommendation, the committee said the government must require airports to adjust the safety run-off section at the end of the runways to meet the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

The airports must also review their emergency plans, improve training on accident handling and provide proper emergency equipment that meets international standards.

Other areas in need of improvement include getting airliners to make sure that their flight data recording systems are in top condition.

Airlines must also conduct regular training for pilots on how to approach and land safely.

The committee also recommended setting up an independent team to assess key personnel from airline operators and airports to ensure they were well qualified.

'These are immediate recommendations regardless of the state of our investigation, and these apply to all the airline operators and airports,' said Mr Tatang.