Air Force to probe trouble in President's plane

JAKARTA (JP): The Air Force will investigate the cause of the oil leak in its Boeing-707 aircraft transporting President Abdurrahman Wahid and his entourage on a state visit to Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, says Air Force spokesman Air Commodore Imam Wahyudi.

He said the aircraft, piloted by Lt. Col. Yadi Husyadi and Lt. Col. Nurullah, made an emergency landing at Darwin, Northern Territory, at 2:35 early on Monday morning following engine trouble.

"Based to the checks conducted prior to its departure, the aircraft was declared airworthy. The examination of the oil leak in one of the four engines is still underway," he said here on Monday.

The plane, which took off from Halim Perdanakusuma airport on Sunday, was carrying the President and his entourage to Sydney. The government sent on Monday a Garuda Indonesia aircraft as a substitute plane for the President, who is making his Australian visit after previously having postponed it five times.

"The pilot's decision to make an emergency landing in Darwin was correct because the airport in the city was the nearest one with adequate facilities for such a landing," Imam said.

He said the Air Force operated several aircraft, including the Boeing 707, to transport very important persons, including the president and vice president. All the planes underwent regular airworthiness checks every 30 days, four months, one year and eight years.

He said the aircraft that developed engine problem on Monday was the one that flew the President to Bangkok on May 14 this year. It had notched up numerous long flights both at home and overseas, he added.

The aircraft, with a length of 44.42 meters, can fly for 12 hours non-stop. It has been used by the Air Force for logistical transport purposes.

Separately, presidential military secretary Rear Air Marshal Budhy Santoso denied reports that the President's aircraft had made an emergency landing.

He said the Air Force plane had conducted "a normal landing for technical reasons".

"We made a normal landing. (The airplane) touched down well in accordance with the procedures. It wasn't something that could be classified as an emergency. It did not require the help of the emergency services, such as the fire service," Budhy said in a statement released by the presidential secretariat.

He said that such a technical failure was by no means out of the ordinary.

Question

Meanwhile, Permadi, a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, lamented the use of such a veteran aircraft for the President's state visits overseas.

"This old aircraft is the only one we have and that's why the President uses it for his foreign trips," he said.

Rear Marshal Bachrum Siregar, a legislator from the Indonesian Military and Police faction, called on all sides not to speculate about the Darwin incident at the Air Force's expense.

"We are deeply concerned over the incident and all sides should avoid making sensationalist comments about it. The aircraft was chosen not because it was old or new, but because it was considered airworthy," he said.

Bachrum, a former Air Force pilot, said the aircraft was declared airworthy after an Air Force team had conducted a detailed check.

He hailed the pilot for his decision to make the emergency landing. (rms)