Dungdang
25th Feb 2009, 06:55
Jakarta Globe (http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/national/article/11063.html)
Lion Air Plane Lands Without Front Wheels
A Lion Air jetliner was forced to land without its front landing gear on Monday evening, transportation officials said, adding yet another stain on Indonesia’s troubled air safety record.
The McDonnell Douglas 90 had flown from Medan, North Sumatra Province, and was approaching Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Riau Islands Province, when pilots discovered that the plane’s forward landing gear was stuck, Bambang Ervan, chief spokesman for the Ministry of Transportation said on Tuesday.
“The pilot decided to land, after an hour of flying around to empty the fuel tank,” he said, adding that the plane had been properly checked before taking off.
The plane, under the registration sign PK-LIO, was carrying 156 passengers as well as cabin crew, and was piloted by Capt. Anwar Haryanto. Bambang said no one was killed in the accident, but nine people were taken to a hospital and treated for mental trauma suffered in the ordeal.
JA Barata, spokesman for the government’s crash investigation body, the National Transportation Safety Committee, or KNKT, said three senior investigators were deployed to Batam on Tuesday. “They include KNKT Chief Tatang Kurniadi and his deputy, Franz Wenas,” Barata said.
Edward Sirait, acting spokesman for Lion Air, said that the plane, built in 1996, was in good condition according to the official records, or log book.
“It’s under our routine maintenance,” Edward said, adding that the jet had flown for a total of 20,000 hours.
The KNKT team is still investigating the cause of the malfunction, however he declined to release any preliminary results.
“We have to collect the facts and analyze everything including the maintenance data of the airline from every aspect. It’s too soon to conclude anything now,” he said. Tatang said the team did not prioritize to find the indication of human error.
“Our principle is no blame, no liability. We’re looking for a flaw in the system instead of human or corporate error,” he said.
Tatang said though the emergency landing of the Lion Air jetliner was classified as a serious incident, the event should not affect the European Commission’s plan to lift a 2007 ban on Indonesian airlines. “I don’t think the [EC] has accurate data to support their decision to issue a flight ban for Indonesian airlines,” he said.
Lion Air Plane Lands Without Front Wheels
A Lion Air jetliner was forced to land without its front landing gear on Monday evening, transportation officials said, adding yet another stain on Indonesia’s troubled air safety record.
The McDonnell Douglas 90 had flown from Medan, North Sumatra Province, and was approaching Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Riau Islands Province, when pilots discovered that the plane’s forward landing gear was stuck, Bambang Ervan, chief spokesman for the Ministry of Transportation said on Tuesday.
“The pilot decided to land, after an hour of flying around to empty the fuel tank,” he said, adding that the plane had been properly checked before taking off.
The plane, under the registration sign PK-LIO, was carrying 156 passengers as well as cabin crew, and was piloted by Capt. Anwar Haryanto. Bambang said no one was killed in the accident, but nine people were taken to a hospital and treated for mental trauma suffered in the ordeal.
JA Barata, spokesman for the government’s crash investigation body, the National Transportation Safety Committee, or KNKT, said three senior investigators were deployed to Batam on Tuesday. “They include KNKT Chief Tatang Kurniadi and his deputy, Franz Wenas,” Barata said.
Edward Sirait, acting spokesman for Lion Air, said that the plane, built in 1996, was in good condition according to the official records, or log book.
“It’s under our routine maintenance,” Edward said, adding that the jet had flown for a total of 20,000 hours.
The KNKT team is still investigating the cause of the malfunction, however he declined to release any preliminary results.
“We have to collect the facts and analyze everything including the maintenance data of the airline from every aspect. It’s too soon to conclude anything now,” he said. Tatang said the team did not prioritize to find the indication of human error.
“Our principle is no blame, no liability. We’re looking for a flaw in the system instead of human or corporate error,” he said.
Tatang said though the emergency landing of the Lion Air jetliner was classified as a serious incident, the event should not affect the European Commission’s plan to lift a 2007 ban on Indonesian airlines. “I don’t think the [EC] has accurate data to support their decision to issue a flight ban for Indonesian airlines,” he said.