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.
More News
Aero Linx: JAARS Nearly 1.5 billion people, using more than 5,500 languages, do not have a full Bible in their first language. Many of these people live in the most remote parts of>[...]
'Airplane Bounced Twice On The Grass Runway, Resulting In The Nose Wheel Separating From The Airplane...' Analysis: The pilot reported, “upon touchdown, the plane jumped back>[...]
"Burt is best known to the public for his historic designs of SpaceShipOne, Voyager, and GlobalFlyer, but for EAA members and aviation aficionados, his unique concepts began more t>[...]
"Polaris Dawn, the first of the program’s three human spaceflight missions, is targeted to launch to orbit no earlier than summer 2024. During the five-day mission, the crew >[...]
There Are SO Many Ways To Get YOUR Aero-News! It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so he>[...]