Indonesian Plane Crash Lands.

[jetjockey696]

Merpati Plane Crash-Lands in Kupang


http://img.thejakartaglobe.com/2013/06/Pesawat-Merpati-Rusak-Saat-Mendarat-01.jpg

A Merpati Nusantara airplane carrying 50 passengers was forced to make a crash landing at El Tari airport, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Monday.

“Thank God, all passengers are safe,” said Imam Purnomon, the general manager of airport-operator Angkasa Pura Kupang.

Imam said that the Chinese-made M60 airplane had come from Bajawa, in Flores, and there had been no report of any malfunction from the pilot while it was on its way to Kupang. He said the airplane undershot the runway when coming into land.

“We were very surprised… the front wheels broke, causing the two propellers to break, too, when they hit the ground,” Imam said.

He said the plane was carrying 49 adults and one child, adding that the written-off plane remained on the runway, forcing the airport to close.

At least nine flights had to be immediately postponed, and a total of 21 flights would be affected if the airport was unable to reopen today, he said.

“We are trying to evacuate the airplane,” Imam said.

Detikcom said that one passenger was injured and had been taken to the nearest hospital, but the report could not immediately be confirmed.

The head of the aviation sub-committee at the National Committee for Transportation Safety (KNKT), Masruri, said a team would be immediately deployed to Kupang to investigate the cause of the accident.

“We will depart immediately, the plane was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder, we don’t want to make predictions. We only know that the plane is now blocking the runway but all passengers survived, we will know more after we gather the evidences,” he said.


JG ... 10/06/2013

[jetjockey696]

http://img.thejakartaglobe.com/2013/06/03738527-1024x662.jpg

[Iver]

I think most of Africa is safer than to fly in Indonesia. This will not help its reputation for aviation danger. If I were the Aviation Minister I would welcome "experienced" expat pilots with open arms and ensure they were paid enough to attract them in the first place. Of course that will never happen and the reckless flying will continue.

In aviation, as in life, you seem to get what you pay for...:yuk:

[jetjockey696]

Crash course for Chinese planes in Indonesia and Myanmar

Chinese-made Xian MA60 twin turboprop planes were involved in two landing mishaps yesterday.

A state-run Merpati Nusantara Airlines plane carrying 50 people landed hard at an airport in eastern Indonesia, slamming both engines onto the runway, while a domestic Myanma Airways flight swerved off the runway on landing in Myanmar.

The Merpati plane was landing at El Tari airport in the East Nusa Tenggara capital of Kupang after a flight from Bajawa on Flores Island.

The plane was carrying 46 passengers and four crew members. Nine passengers were being treated at three hospitals.

Two foreigners were on board - a Malaysian co-pilot and an American passenger.

The cause of the hard landing is under investigation, but photos show both wings tilted forward and the engines resting on the runway while the nose gear appears to be missing.

"The plane is badly damaged, I don't think it can be used anymore," said Merpati spokesman Herry Saptanto.

Ety, the mother of the only baby on the flight, said she saw smoke inside the cabin before it landed. Like many Indonesians, she uses only one name.

The plane was made in 2007 and had been used by Merpati since 2010.

In May 2011, another MA60 plane flown by Merpati crashed into the ocean off eastern Indonesia, killing all 25 on board.

Indonesia is one of fastest-growing air travel markets in Asia, but it has a troubled history when it comes to air safety.

In April, a Lion Air plane belly-flopped into the ocean just shy of the runway off the resort island of Bali and snapped in half.

All 108 people aboard survived. Some swam from the wreckage while others were plucked from the water by rescuers in rubber boats.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Committee has urged the budget carrier to immediately address safety concerns by providing more training for pilots during critical landing times.

In 2007, the Europe Union banned all Indonesian airlines due to a lack of compliance with international safety rules.

It has lifted restrictions for some carriers as improvements are made, but Lion Air and Merpati remain on the blacklist.

Myanmar state television, meanwhile, showed the scene of the plane that swerved off the runway in Kawthaung in southeastern Myanmar after a flight from Yangon, via Mawlamyine.

The plane carrying four crew and 60 passengers came to a stop in bushes about 60 metres off the runway, with smoke coming from the left side propeller housing. The propellers on both wings were damaged.

The accident comes as Myanmar is experiencing a boom in tourism after instituting democratic reforms that caused Western nations to lift most sanctions that had been applied against the previous military regime.

SCMP.. 11/06/2013

[jetjockey696]

Lawmakers Want Merpati’s Wings Clipped as Investigators Take Black Box

The crash-landing yesterday of a Merpati Nusantara MA60 aircraft has prompted a lawmaker to call for all similar planes to be grounded, as the airline told this newspaper that investigators had taken the plane’s flight data recorder.

“Merpati is too bad to be saved,” National Mandate Party (PAN) lawmaker Teguh Juwarno said on Tuesday. “The Transportation Ministry should ground all similar planes.”

Teguh, a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission V on transportation, said all routes operated by the state-owned carrier should be assumed by other airlines.

A Merpati Xian MA60 carrying 50 passengers was forced to make a crash-landing at El Tari airport, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara on Monday.

Five people were seriously injured in the accident, while some 20 other passengers suffered light injuries.

A spokesman of Merpati Nusantara, Akhmad Zulfikri, told the Jakarta Globe that Merpati was unable to comment before the findings of an investigation by the National Committee on Transportation Safety (KNKT).

Asked for any preliminary information on the cause of the crash, Akhmad said “I have no idea, we still need to wait for the investigation by the KNKT. The KNKT usually at least takes a month for its investigations.”

Akhmad said that the company was still focusing on the victims.

“But for sure we also want our customers to be loyal flying with us,” he said.

Merpati has something of a checkered safety record.

On August 2, 2009, Flight 9760 crashed in Papua, killing all 15 people on board.

In July 2010, passengers aboard an MA60 in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara were forced to evacuate after a short circuit filled the cabin with smoke.

In February 2011, a Merpati MA60 slid off the runway after attempting to take off from El Tari Airport. No casualties were reported.

On May 7, 2011, Merpati Flight 8968 crashed off the coast of Kaimana district, West Papua, killing all 25 people on board.

The incident again raises questions over the deal involving Merpati’s purchase of 15 Xian MA60s for $14.1 million. It was later discovered that airlines in the Philippines, Ghana and Nepal bought the same type of aircraft for $11 million, while it is understood that the airline considered canceling the deal after finding cracks in one of the plane’s vertical stabilizers.

This prompted China to halt a loan for an electricity development project in Indonesia. In response, former Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu was sent to China to renegotiate the purchase agreement.

Afterward, the government agreed to take a small loan from the China Export-Import Bank — amortized over 15 years with an annual interest rate of 2.5 percent — clearing the way for the deal to go through.

The purchase is currently being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).

Lawmakers and aviation officials have questioned the use of planes that are not certified by the United States Federal Aviation Administration.The Indonesian government has argued that such a certification is unnecessary since Chinese transportation authorities have approved the planes.

Martin Hutabarat, a lawmaker with the Great Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra) called on the Transportation Ministry to assess the usage of MA60s as passenger airplanes.

“The ministry should evaluate them to prevent dreadful accidents like this,” Martin said on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the region, a Myanma Airways plane carrying about 60 passengers skidded off the runway at a regional airport on Monday.

Both propellers on the Burmese flag carrier’s MA60 were damaged in the landing at Kawthaung, in the southern region of Taninthari.

In mid-May a Myanma Airways MA60 overshot the end of a runway at an airport in eastern Shan State due to suspected brake failure, injuring two people.


AFP.. 11/06/2013

[TheExpatPilot]

It's not the aircraft that's the problem, the aircraft type is fine. It serves its purpose. You need to look at the quality of pilot in the RHS. Here you have a zero hour pilot being thrusted into an aircraft they simply are not ready for. What happened to the days of earning a position in something this size? Given, this is standard practise in South East Asia, and a lot worse has happened and in much larger aircraft. Time to stop thinking about short term gain with this P2F revolution (abomination) and think about the bigger picture. The vast majority of hull losses in SEA are due to pilot error, very rarely the aircraft itself. It's a shame that hull loses are a given in this part of the world, when they don't have to be. Glad all pax and crew are safe.

[St. Ex]

Buyer beware of products made in China!