Here;s something I wrote on another board about the GA crash...
Just been reading the newspapers. It seems that details of the crash have come out pretty quick because the aircraft landed in populated area, albeit in the middle of the river, and near a bridge, hence it attracted a lot of attention and enabled a quick rescue to be carried out. Below here is some that I’ve read from Kompas Newspaper and Jakarta Post.
Most passengers did not suspect an emergency when the impact occurred, and most were wearing their seatbelts. Some passengers have said that they thought it was a very rough landing. Only after the cabin crew scrambled to the exits and screamed “emergency! Emergency, please evacuate the aircraft” did they realize. Some realized when seeing a vast pool of water out of their windows when the aircraft stopped.
Another account however have indicated that at the last few moments, cabin crew were racing up and down the cabin screaming emergency and making sure that everyone was buckled in before sitting in their stations.
Some eyewitnesses have said the aircraft have been circling above around the crash site, and then suddenly dropped into the river. A wing hit a dyke/embankment before hitting the water, hence the damage. No damage to houses or rice fields were apparent.
One witness said “it came from the east, then turned back to the east suddenly, then turned away westwards before landing in the river. There was smoke coming out of the left engine.” Mulyono, the witness, was fishing in the river not far from the crash site.
The aircraft now floating slightly, with both wings declared structurally “snapped.”
It is suspected that the plane have suffered a dual flame-out, due to heavy water and icing. It appears the pilots were trying to relit the engines until the last moment. Re-lighting was not possible due to the wet air and low altitude.
Another theory is that is suffered from total hydraulic failure, but the pilot never issued a mayday, and this has been dismissed from the priority cause of the crash. Jogjakarta tower lost contact with the aircraft and APU was on. The pilot’s lack of communication could be attributed to an electronic malfunction possibly due to lightning strike.
A Pelita F28 behind the 737 as requested to hold at 12,000 feet over Solo, about 45 mins drive away from Jogjakarta. The F28 pilot have said that the weather was raining very heavily.
The local army commander in charge of the rescue operation regretted that people were just watching the crash and slowed down the rescue including evacuation of personal property. However, the logbook, FDR and CVR have been secured.
The locals however did manage to persuade passengers to jump off the aircraft into the river because it was only “knee deep”.
Capt. Abdul Rozak and FO Gunawan is reported to be in hospital but his location is kept secret in case some relatives would like to avenge the tragedy (the Approach ATCO on duty in Medan during the A300 crash a few years back also had the same treatment, and vigilantes did go after him). FA Santi Anggraini died after drowning in the river.
All injured have been taken to R. Koen Hospital in Solo, and or have been placed in Hotel Cakra in Solo, where Garuda have set up a crisis center.
So far I’m quite happy at the local press for identifying the aircraft correctly as 737-300, PK-GWA.
I was at CGK shortly about 30 mins after the crash. GA421 had already been declared “cancelled” It was pouring down with some lightning, so I decided to go spotting. However, I was there to pick up my friend flying on GA211, scheduled to go arrive about 1 hr before GA421. He told me that the wx in Solo (where he drove from earlier) was bloody awful with lightning and heavy downpour, Jogjakarta was also raining heavily. He boarded GA211 on time, and then the pax were told to go off the aircraft and returned to the terminal. They left around the same time as GA421’s scheduled flight. GA told them that they had to wait and pick up passengers from GA421 due to an operational problem. It was not until they landed in CGK that the real reason was disclosed to the pax.
The arrivals board in CGK T2 was blacked out. We had to monitor arrivals from small TV screens.
May Santi rest in Peace.
Gerry