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Air Force denies overcapacity on Hercules crash
Air Chief Marshal Agus Supriatna has denied that overcapacity was the cause of a Hercules C-130 crash in the Padang Bulan area in Medan, North Sumatra
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Air Chief Marshal Agus Supriatna has denied that overcapacity was the cause of a Hercules C-130 crash in the Padang Bulan area in Medan, North Sumatra.
'It's not true. Who said that?' he said as quoted by Antara on Wednesday.
Agus said a Hercules C-130 could bring a cargo of passengers and baggage weighing up to 135 tons.
He said the aircraft was approved to depart on Tuesday as its load did not exceed its capacity. 'Clearly, if it was over its capacity, it would not have been approved to depart,' said Agus.
Earlier, Agus had confirmed that the Hercules C-130 had some technical problems. This can be seen from the decision made by its pilot, Captain Sandy Permana, who had asked the control tower for permission to return to base prior to the incident.
'It was purely an accident,' said Agus.
He also confirmed reports concerning weapons in the aircraft that crashed, killing at least 140 people.
He said that the weapons belonged to Army and Air Force personnel who were being rotated. (ebf)(+++)
