Another Incident for Garuda.... almost!

[NAS1801]

Missile test shocks pilgrim plane http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21552516-401,00.html A SURPRISE Indian missile test forced an Indonesian airliner packed with passengers to turn around mid-flight and head home, the foreign ministry in Jakarta said Friday as a diplomatic spat brewed. The Garuda Indonesia jet, full of Muslim pilgrims en route to Saudi Arabia, had reached Indian airspace when the nuclear-capable ballistic missile streaked across the sky yesterday, forcing the plane to turn around. The Indian ambassador must explain as soon as possible why the incident happened since the airspace should have been closed, Indonesia's foreign ministry said. "Usually closed airspace is alerted to international authorities but the fact is, our plane flew and had to return," ministry spokesman Kristiarto Legowo said. The ministry could lodge a formal protest over the incident, Indonesia's Transport Minister Hatta Rajasa told the Kompas newspaper. "There was no prior information about the test," the national carrier's operations director Ari Sapari was quoted as saying in the report. The Boeing 747 jet carrying 400 people aborted its flight after 90 minutes and returned to the Indonesian capital Jakarta, the report said. "This clearly disrupted our schedule and caused us big losses," Mr Sapari was quoted as saying. The plane resumed its journey four hours later. The jet's exact location relative to the missile, which trailed orange and yellow smoke as it rocketed skyward, had not yet been made public.

[wombat13]

"aborted its flight after 90 minutes".

"had reached Indian airspace".

"returned to the Indonesian capital Jakarta"

Something here does not add up. I stand to be corrected by those pilots who actually fly this route, but reaching Indian airspace within 90 minutes of leaving Jakarta seems sporting to me.

The Wombat

[akerosid]

There is an Indian administered group of island not far off the Thai/Malaysian coast; I think there is an air base near Port Blair and this would probably be reachable within 90 minutes from CGK (although still at a "sporting" pace!) ... presumably the Indian Navy was conducting tests in the vicinity of these islands?

[Another Number]

The launch of the Agni-III missile took place from Wheeler Island, 180 kilometres north-east of Bhubaneswar, capital of the eastern state of Orissa.

Sounds more like the aircraft were turned back (reports of two being turned back) due to the un-notified "incursion" of the airspace, and a reporter has simply taken the intial description of the launch ("leaving behind a thick column of white and yellow smoke", the Press Trust of India news agency reported) and combined that into the turnback story.

[Haaan]

The airspace was Notamned closed over the Bay of Bengal.
The aispace was closed already from 23:30Z. 4 hours priour to the Notam being in affect. how they let the plane through their airspace is just a mystery.

A0322/07 NOTAMN
Q)VXXX/QWMLW/IV/NBO/W/000/999/1743N08441E962
A)VECF VOMF
B)0704120330 C)0704141130
D)DAILY 0330 - 1130
E)EXPERIMENTAL FLIGHT VECHILE LAUNCH FM LAUNCH COMPLEX
LAUNCH PAD COORDINATE: 204500N 0871100E
DANGER ZONES: SECTOR AROUND LAUNCH PAD
I. 157 DEG TO 189 DEG FROM NORTH.
II. UP TO 1512 NM.
DURING LAUNCH PERIOD ATS ROUTES L301, N877, P761, N571, B466,
P574, P762, N563, W111 AND L645 NOT AVBL.
DURING LAUNCH PERIOD ATS ROUTES N895/G472, L759, A465, W41
AND P628 ARE REALIGNED BIDIRECTIONALLY AS FOLLOWS:
A : -
1. N895/G472 NOT AVBL BTN BUBKO AND NNP VOR : - ALTN ROUTE -
BUBKO - M773 - CEA VOR - G450 - NNP VOR.
2. L759 NOT AVBL BTN MABUR AND IBUDA : - ALTN ROUTE - MABUR -
336/156 DEG 209 NM - BUBKO - M773 - CEA VOR - A791 - IBUDA.
3. A465 NOT AVBL BTN LEMEX AND CEA VOR : - ATLN ROUTE - ISMON -
W90 - BBS VOR - 316/136 DEG 140 NM - JH NDB - KINKI - G450 - CEA
VOR.
4. W41 NOT AVBL BTN BBS AND CEA VOR : - ALTN ROUTE - BBS VOR -
316/136 DEG 140 NM - JH NDB - KINKI - G450 - CEA VOR.
5. P628 NOT AVBL BTN PPB VOR AND ASOPO : - ALTN ROUTE - PPB VOR -
343/161 DEG 592 NM - DOPID - 339/159 DEG 112 NM - CEA VOR - A791 -
ASOPO.
B : -
1. VECC - VOPB TFC TO FOLLOW -
CEA VOR - 159/339 DEG 112 NM - DOPID - 161/343 DEG 592 NM - PPB.
F)GND G)UNL

[robbreid]

April 13, 2007

Missile Test Forces Jet to Turn Back

By NINIEK KARMINI
Associated Press Writer


JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - An Indonesian jet carrying hundreds of passengers was forced to turn around over Indian airspace after a nuclear-capable ballistic missile streaked across the sky, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.
Indonesia has demanded an explanation from New Delhi, which insisted that aviation authorities were informed about Thursday's test launch well in advance.
The Garuda Indonesia Boeing 747 was en route from Jakarta to Saudi Arabia when the Indian control tower told pilots the missile had been launched, said Ari Sapari, the national carrier's director.
"We were not given any advance warning about this missile test," he said. "This was obviously confusing and worrying. It also caused us to disrupt an international flight schedule - a great financial expense."
The plane carrying 413 people immediately returned to Jakarta and took off again for Jeddah seven hours later, he said. Another Garuda plane bound for Riyadh also had to delay its departure Thursday because of the test.
Indonesia - which is struggling to defend its transportation safety record after a series of deadly air, train and ferry accidents - said it would summon a diplomat from India to seek clarification.
"We have to make sure this does not happen in the future," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kristiarto Legowo told reporters Friday.
India said Indonesia and other air traffic controllers across the region had been properly informed about its plans to test-fire its longest-range missile, the Agni III.
"A notice was sent a week before the test," said government spokesman Navtej Sarna. Aviation officials were told "about the launch window date, danger time, zone and height," he said, and had been advised to "issue notice to aviators and mariners." The Agni III missile, which is designed to reach 1,900 miles, was launched from Wheeler Island off the eastern state of Orissa and is said to be capable of carrying up to a 300-kiloton nuclear warhead.

[Another Number]

There's already an existing thread (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=271912) for this, ahem, "discussion".


However, while you're here ... look at this nice little pic (http://nl.airliners.net/photos/photos/9/4/0/0142049.jpg) I took of that missile before our Garuda flight had to turn back in fright... :}








__________________________________
(http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0142049/L/ if the link didn't work ;))

[Lon More]

look at this nice little pic I took of that missile before our Garuda flight had to turn back in fright...



Space Shuttle "Atlantis" (mission STS-98), taken from PA-28-235 @5,500MSL

Travelled in time and space?

[arcniz]

The 'picture' links don't work. Lon More suggests the original post by Another Number is evidently an attempt at deliberate misinformation. Mods pls take note.

[Final 3 Greens]

Come on guys - look at the smilies.

Get a sense of humour.