Air Force jet crashes in training

Air Force jet crashes in training

PEKANBARU, Riau: A Hawk-100 Air Force training jet crashed
during an exercise at Simpang Tiga Air Base here on Wednesday.

Air Force spokesman Commodore Bachrum Rasir confirmed the
incident, but said the cause of the accident remained unclear.

The pilot, Lt. Arif Hartono, a 1974 graduate of the Air Force
Academy, ejected from the jet and suffered only minor injuries.

Bachrum said the British-made aircraft with registration
number TT-1208, part of a fleet of 12 jets purchased last year,
crashed on the air base's runway at around 9 a.m.

"We don't know the cause of the accident yet, but the weather
was clear at the time," Bachrum said.

A team led by Jakarta-based Air Force Western Fleet Commander
Air Rear Marshal Supriyadi has been sent to Pekanbaru to
investigate the incident.

A U.S.-made F-16 Air Force jet crashed on landing at Halim
Perdanakusuma Air Base on March 10, 1997, killing the pilot,
Capt. Dwi Sasongko. According to the findings of an
investigation, the accident was caused by bad weather. (emf)