Indonesian Air Force KT-1B crash - Both crew ejected

[Tintin]

Asian Defence - Saturday, June 26, 2010


Badung, Bali. It was supposed to have been a joyous flight, but it ended disastrously.

An Indonesian Air Force KT-1B exercise plane participating in a “Terbang Gembira” (“Joy Flight”) activity crashed and burned on Thursday afternoon at the eastern tip of Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport.

The pilot, Lt. Col. Ramot Sinaga, and his passenger, Udayana Regional Military Commander Maj. Gen. Rachmad Budianto, both managed to eject from the cockpit safely.

Rachmad, who was named the regional armed forces chief three months ago, suffered light injuries to his legs.

“The commander is having his medical examination in at a military hospital,” said Udayana Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. Ida Bagus Gaga Ardana.

Ramot suffered a head injury and was taken to Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar.

The South Korean-produced KT-1B was one of four in the event, all of which were executing coordinated acrobatic maneuvers in a 15-minute show that took them from Ngurah Rai to iconic Bali landmarks such as Sanur, Tanah Lot and Uluwatu before returning to the airport.

Eyewitnesses, including journalists covering the event, saw the plane break formation as it was about to land and brush against two other planes.

“There was a spark followed by two loud bangs,” said Putu Wahyu, a vendor near the airport who was watching the show.

The small plane broke up into pieces upon impact with the ground, scattering debris across the runway and forcing the airport to close for about an hour as the wreckage was cleared.

As a result, three commercial airliners were forced to land at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya and the departures of four flights were postponed.

But the eyewitness account was denied by Ngurah Rai Airbase Commander Lt. Col. Aldrin Peter Mongan, who was on board one of the other KT-1B planes.

“The incident occurred during the landing, and there was no collision. Let’s be clear on that,” he said, adding the cause of the crash was under investigation.

He added that the training aircraft was still relatively new and quite reliable.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika was originally supposed to be the ill-fated plane’s passenger, but was not able to make the flight.

Those in the three other KT-1B planes were Aldrin, Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Sutisna, and Bank Indonesia Denpasar chief Jeffrey Kahuripan.