Report Does Not Identify Cause Of Accident

Investigators state a Garuda airlines policy to preserve fuel may have compelled a pilot to attempt a landing at an excessive speed last month, contributing to the subsequent crash in Yogyakarta that killed 21 people.
 
The revelation has led to deep concerns over the airline's policy of paying pilots a three percent bonus for fuel conservation, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"This policy for fuel efficiency for individual pilots could hamper flight safety," Captain Stephanus said. "The company is making extra payments to pilots if they can conserve fuel. Maybe this is bothering the pilot."

Captain Stephanus, the head Garuda's pilots association, interviewed the pilot who crashed the plane, Captain Komar, soon after the accident last month. He blames the accident on "some human factor problem" stating that the pilot should have "gone around" rather than landing.

Stephanus said the pilot's decision to land the plane at over 255 mph was a "surprise," adding "This is too fast. How could the pilot decide like that?" he said.

As Aero-News reported, the Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737-400 slammed hard onto the runway in Yogyakarta on March 7, careening off the end of the air strip before bursting into flames, killing 21 of the 140 passengers.

"The jet was flying at about 410 kilometers (255 miles) per hour. This was not a normal speed," chief investigator Mardjono Siswo Suwarno confirmed after an official press conference Wednesday.

Mardjono added the safety area at the end of Yogyakarta's runway was not long enough to accommodate the speeding jet. "If the area was long enough, the Garuda jet would not have caught fire," he said.

A preliminary report released at Wednesday's press conference states the safety run-off section at the end of Yogyakarta's runway was not a length of 240 meters (787 feet) -- the minimum recommended under international aviation standards. "It's approximately 115 meters (377 feet) in length," Mardjono said.

Mardjono denied reports the accident was related to human error. He also denied reports the pilots had been arguing about the jet's speed moments before it crash-landed.

A final report from the investigation into the crash should be available within four months.

FMI: www.garuda-indonesia.com