Indonesia has suspended the pilots of a jet that crash-landed and erupted in flames, killing 21 people, a report said on Saturday.
The pilot, Marwoto Komar, and co-pilot, Gagam Saman Rohmana, have been “grounded” until the accident investigation is over, Yurlis Hasibuan, the head of the air transport directorate, told the Republika newspaper.
He said the directorate had yet to determine the cause of the tragedy, which saw a Garuda Indonesia jet make a high-speed landing at Yogyakarta on Wednesday, slide off the runway and explode in flames.
The two pilots are physically well but have suffered psychological trauma, Major Djunaidi, the head of the air-force hospital where they are being treated, was quoted as saying in the Kompas newspaper.
“They can make small talk, but when asked to talk about what happened they will start to cry,” he said, adding the pilot kept asking how the accident could have happened.
The pilots have reportedly blamed a “huge gust of wind” for pushing the plane into a hard landing.
Experts in Australia are examining the burnt-out Boeing 737’s “black box” cockpit voice recorder and data log for vital clues about why it crashed.
More than 100 people survived Wednesday’s accident, the second major airliner disaster in Indonesia this year.
A jet operated by low-fare carrier Adam Air plunged into the sea on New Year’s Day, killing the 102 people on board.
Plane crashes and recent ferry disasters, which in total have killed hundreds of people, have once more put the spotlight on Indonesia’s blighted transport safety record.
Experts blame the lax enforcement of safety regulations, poor maintenance and insufficient investment in transport infrastructure, despite booming passenger numbers. — AFP