Airport cleared skidded aircraft

Airport cleared skidded aircraft

The Jakarta Post Tangerang

Three people were injured and Sukarno-Hatta International Airport's southern runway was closed for more than five hours overnight Wednesday after a Boeing 747 crash-landed and skidded to a standstill on Tuesday night.

The runway was closed at 10:15 p.m. after the Adam Air Boeing 747-400 aircraft, carrying 123 passengers from Medan, North Sumatra, skidded dangerously as it hit the runway.

"The right wheel was broken so it caused an imperfect landing," Angkasa Pura II spokesman Waspan Widodo said.

Losing its balance and tipping onto its wing several times, the aircraft skidded as far as 1.5 kilometers away from the landing point.

Three passengers were reported injured; Aas Kasmin, who suffered a broken leg, Turkin who suffered a back injury, and Ratna who sprained her ankle.

"The Adam Air aircraft has been pulled from the runway. Now the situation is clear and normal," airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II corporate secretary Kasmin Kamil said later on Wednesday.

No flights were disrupted because of the incident and the runway was declared clear at about 3:35 a.m., he said.

Through a spokesperson, Adam Air said it would provide medical treatment for the victims.

Waspan said only one of the three victims was injured as they fled to the emergency exit, while Kasmin maintained all three were hurt in the hasty evacuation.

"The incident caused panic among the passengers ... and as soon as the aircraft stopped, they were scrambling to get out. Three passengers were shoved and fell down (from the plane)," Kasmin said.