Report blames pilot for Yogya crash

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 10/23/2007 4:11 PM

Alfian, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The final investigation into the Garuda Indonesia jetliner crash that killed 21 people in Yogyakarta this year has found flight crew disregarded safety procedures.

The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), however, said Monday the report should not be used in any legal action but for improvement purposes only.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Bambang Kuncoko, however, insisted KNKT submit the report for further investigation.

The committee determined the flight crew's compliance with procedures did not ensure safe operation of the aircraft.

The committee released the report after an investigation of some seven months involving experts from various fields including senior pilots, engineers, medics and air traffic controllers.

The Boeing 737-400 aircraft flight number GA-200 flew on March 7 from Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten to Adi Sucipto Airport in Yogyakarta with 133 passengers, two pilots and five flight attendants.

The final investigation report said the pilot in command attempted to land the airline with the aircraft's instrument landing system, despite having already been cleared to land using a visual approach.

The aircraft was required to proceed and to report runway in sight.

""Although the crew acknowledged the visual approach clearance, it continued with the instrument landing approach without informing the controller,"" KNKT chairman Tatang Kurniadi told a press conference.

The report found the pilot in command attempted to land the plane using an unstable approach with speed exceeding proper procedures and at a steep angle.

Garuda's basic operational manual requires the pilot in command to ""go around"" when faced with an unstable approach.

The pilot in command ignored the copilot's suggestion to ""go around"" along with alerts and warnings sounded 15 times by the ground proximity warning system.

In addition, the co-pilot did not follow said manual and instead took control of the aircraft from the pilot, despite being faced with instability.

The report found the co-pilot had not received appropriate training or proficiency checks in order to take said action.

The investigation also found fire and rescue vehicles at the airport were unable to reach the accident site and that some fire trucks did not have the proper fire extinguishers.

Despite the report's findings, Tatang said KNKT avoided using the term 'human error"" as this would see all focus on the pilots.

""We want improvements to be carried out in all systems in air transportation -- not only on the pilots,"" he said.

Garuda had not yet decided on any punishment for pilot in command M. Marwoto Komar or co-pilot Gagam Saman Rokhmana.

""They are still grounded,"" Garuda's operations director Ari Safapari told detik.com.

""We will study the pilots' role in the accident and we will summon the pilots to meet our chief pilot and operations manager.

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