[Kabar-indonesia] Indonesia Jet Crash Kills at Least 147

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Indonesia Jet Crash Kills at Least 147
By Irwan Firdaus, Associated Press Writer
7:47 a.m. September 5, 2005

Medan, Indonesia - Seconds after takeoff, an Indonesian airliner shook
violently, veered to the left and slammed into a bustling neighborhood
Monday, bursting into flames and killing at least 147 people — many on the
ground.

Up to 16 passengers survived the crash, including an 18-month-old shielded
by his mother's arms.

The Mandala Airlines plane went down 500 yards from the Medan airport in
north Sumatra, shoving aside cars and motorcycles before plowing into a
row of houses. Witnesses said some people were on fire as they fled the
shattered wreckage.

Investigators were trying to determine what caused the crash, Indonesia's
second air disaster in nine months and the sixth worldwide since Aug. 1.
Authorities considered foul play unlikely, but were examining the
possibility of human error or technical failure, said airline managing
director Asril Tanjung.

Thousands of people, some standing on rooftops and buses, watched as
firefighters struggled in a light drizzle to put out a fire that sent up
thick clouds of black smoke. Several houses and dozens of cars and
motorcycles were engulfed in flames.

Survivors said the Jakarta-bound Boeing 737-200 started shaking when it
reached an altitude of about 100 yards before tilting sharply and smashing
to the ground at 9:40 a.m. Some described a loud bang while the plane was
still in flight, followed by a ball of fire.

"It happened very fast, no one even had time to panic," Rohadi Kamsah
Sitepu, 35, told The Associated Press from his hospital bed. "There was an
explosion outside the plane followed by huge flames inside the cabin. Then
we crashed.

"I struggled to take off my seat belt and then ran through a hole in the
fuselage, jumping over charred bodies scattered all over the road," said
Sitepu, who had minor bruises to his legs. "It's a miracle I survived. I
can't believe it."

The plane was carrying 116 passengers and crew, airline officials said.
Sixteen survived, including the infant and his mother, said Nining, a
Mandala spokeswoman, who like many Indonesians uses only one name. Medan
police chief Col. Irawan Dahlan said there were 15 survivors from aboard
the plane, but Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa said there were 10.

Rajasa was quoted by the private Detik.com news Web site as saying 47
people on the ground were among the dead. City hospitals were treating at
least a dozen residents.

One passenger, Rohadi Sitepu, said all the survivors were seated at the
back of the plane.

"It was very, very scary. Unimaginable," he told Metro TV station from his
hospital bed. "The plane was taking off, but suddenly there was a strong
tremor and it jerked to the left and crashed. There was fire everywhere,
from the front of the plane to the back."

Hundreds of policemen, paramedics and residents evacuated victims, but
Syahrial Anas, a doctor overseeing the removal of charred bodies, said
flames and the thousands of onlookers at the crash site hampered their
efforts.

"I saw at least 20 people running around with their clothes on fire," said
Awi, a shop owner. "They were shrieking in agony and shouting 'Help!
Help!'"

Monday's crash follows five major airline accidents in August, the
deadliest month for plane disasters since May 2002. Some 334 people died
in accidents in Peru, Venezuela, Greece and Tunisia last month. A plane
overshot a runway in Toronto and caught fire; no one died.

Dozens of relatives and friends of victims wept at the airport in Jakarta
upon hearing the news.

"I am waiting for my mother, but Mandala just said that the plane crashed
and she was on board," said Aryati, in tears. "Her name has appeared on a
list of victims on TV."

Medan, the country's third-largest city, has been a major staging point
for tsunami relief operations in Aceh province, on the northern tip of
Sumatra island.

The international airport is near the center of town and surrounded by
densely populated areas. Residents have for years argued that it should be
moved, and Transportation Minister Rajasa told reporters at the crash site
he hoped that would happen soon. Contract bidding for construction of a
new airport will open this year, he said.

Mandala Airlines is a Jakarta-based domestic carrier founded in 1969 by a
military-run foundation. Its 15-plane fleet consists mainly of
1970s-vintage Boeing 737-200 jets. In recent years, the financially
troubled airline has been forced to cut services and fares to remain
competitive.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered an investigation into the
crash, his spokesman said. Among those killed was the governor of North
Sumatra province, en route to the capital for a meeting with the
president.

The plane was nearly 25 years old and received its last comprehensive
service in June, the airline said. It had flown more than 50,000 hours and
was slated for retirement in 2016.

Indonesia's last jetliner crash was in February 2005. Twenty-six people
were killed when a plane operated by low-cost Lion Air skidded off the
runway on Java Island. The country's worst crash was in September 1997; a
Garuda Airbus smashed into mountains near Medan, killing all 232 people on
board.