Garuda plane hit by tow car at Soekarno-Hatta
The Jakarta Post, Tangerang | Fri, 12/10/2010 10:49 AM
An airport tow car hit a Garuda Indonesia 737-400 on Thursday at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, damaging the plane.
Airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II corporate secretary Harry Cahyono said the incident occurred at 9:45 while Garuda flight 128 was waiting for passengers to board.
The mishap occurred when PT Gapura Nagkasa ground officers were installing a tow bar on the plane’s front fuselage, right under the cockpit. Their vehicle moved forward and pressed the tow bar, tearing the front of the plane.
“Parts of the broken tow bar hit one of the ground handling officers in charge, and we reported the incident to airport authorities such as the airport administrator, the Transportation Ministry and the National Committee for Transportation Safety (KNKT),” Harry said.
He said a team sent by KNKT went to the crash site to conduct an investigation.
Garuda spokesperson Pujobroto said the 111 passengers on the Garuda flight were flown on a different aircraft.
“The passengers left on schedule at 10:20 a.m. We had a stand-by plane of the same type that flew them to Pangkal Pinang,” he said, adding that the incident didn’t disrupt airport traffic.
