Mon, Sep 05, 2005
Media Reports No Survivors
A Mandala Airlines 737 has gone down shortly after takeoff form
the city of Medan, in Indonesia, Monday. Currently reported as a
Boeing 737-200, the Mandala 737 was reported to be carrying five
crewperson, 109 adults and 3 infants.
The takeoff accident put the aircraft down in the middle of a
local village where the aircraft was consumed by post-impact fire.
Indonesia's transport minister reported that
the aircraft took off at approximately 1005 (0305
GMT), local time and went down minutes later.
Mandala is an Indonesian Airline, partially owned by the
Indonesian military. Their web page notes that Mandala
operates 12 Boeing 737-200 Adv with JT8D-15/17 engines for domestic
routes.
The President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has
already ordered the Minister of Transportation, Hatta Radjasa, to
initiate an investigation into the accident, urging him to take
'all necessary steps' to prevent another disaster in the future.
"The president gives his deepest sympathy and condolence to the
families of the victims," said Presidential spokesman Andi
Mallarangeng.
Medan is the capital of the province of Sumatra and has become
the gathering point for most tsunami relief flights involving the
province of Aceh. Media reports indicate that a great number of
American aid workers are currently living there but that the
American Embassy said it 'did not know' if any Americans were on
board the Mandala flight.
The last major airliner-involved accident in Indonesia occurred last year and involved
a McDonnell-Douglas MD-82. In that accident, Lion
Air went off the runway on Java Island, resulting in 26
deaths.
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