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Flights Diverted as Merpati Plane Skids on Runway in Central Kalimantan
January 09, 2012

Flights Diverted as Merpati Plane Skids on Runway in Central KalimantanA Merpati Nusantara Airlines aircraft lies stuck in the mud at H. Asan Airport in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, on Sunday. Antara Photo Flights Diverted as Merpati Plane Skids on Runway in Central KalimantanA Merpati Nusantara Airlines aircraft lies stuck in the mud at H. Asan Airport in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, on Sunday. Antara Photo
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Jeanne Hachette
6:53pm Jan 9, 2012

For advertising , what about : Pakai Merpati hati hati!!

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Sampit, Central Kalimantan. A passenger aircraft operated by Merpati Nusantara Airlines skidded on the runway of H. Asan Airport in Central Kalimantan, on Saturday, but no injuries were reported.

The turboprop aircraft had just arrived from Surabaya with 60 people on board when it skidded. Airport officials said the pilot was making a turn on the tarmac and went wide, forcing the landing gear on the left to get stuck in mud.

The aircraft had still not been removed from the its resting spot on Sunday, forcing flights to be rerouted to Palangkaraya and Banjarmasin.

“We can’t move the fuselage because the landing gear on the left wing is buried about a meter into the ground,” Harianto, the head of airport safety and security, said on Sunday.

Rescue workers didn’t have the appropriate equipment to begin the task of moving the Chinese-made Xian MA60 and were waiting for the arrival of a team from Merpati, which was expected to arrive on Sunday night.

Harianto said the airport did not have the equipment required to safely move the aircraft without causing further damage.

“We hope the runway can be cleared away quickly so scheduled flights can resume,” he said.

The Merpati team was expected to bring salvage equipment and attempt to remove the plane later in the evening.

The cause of the accident was unknown, but investigators ruled out poor weather.

A team from the National Committee for Transportation Safety (KNKT) was also expected to arrive to investigate.

This incident is the latest in a string of accidents for Merpati, a state-owned carrier.

On Aug. 2, 2009, a Merpati Twin Otter crashed in Papua. In an attempt to fly clear of clouds, the pilot struck a mountain, killing 13 people.

On April 13, 2010, a Merpati Boeing 737-300 overshot the runway at Rendani Airport in Manokwari, Papua, injuring 20 of the 103 passengers on board.

The following year, a Merpati MA60 on approach to Kaimana in Papua hit the water 500 meters before the runway threshold. All 25 people on board died.

Merpati’s purchase of the MA60 came under close scrutiny following that crash. A 2006 contract between Merpati and Xi’an Aircraft Industrial valued each aircraft at $14.1 million, but carriers in the Philippines, Ghana and Nepal bought the same model for $11 million each.

 

Antara