Boeing skids off runway

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): A Boeing 737 owned by Mandala Airlines skidded off the runway shortly after landing at Hasanuddin Airport on Monday.

All the crew and 80 passengers, including three babies, left the aircraft unharmed.

The accident, however, caused departure and arrival delays for big sized aircraft, including those carrying haj pilgrims returning from Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Mandala flight number MDL-493 was on a stopover from Manado in North Sulawesi to Jakarta.

Airport head Sutopo Bona said he suspected strong winds caused the aircraft to slip off runway 31. It was raining when the airplane landed, restricting visibility to between four kilometers and six kilometers.

"The head wind was measured at between 15 knots and 25 knots per hour, which is above average. At those speeds, wind usually troubles certain kinds of aircraft," Sutopo said.

The plane almost did a 180-degree turn.

The plane overhung the runway by five meters, making it impossible for big airplanes to take off or land.

Sutopo said airport workers would have the Boeing 737 removed by 5 a.m. Central Indonesia Time, another batch of haj pilgrims would have to land at Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar, Bali, and change to smaller aircraft to reach here.

Strong winds caused a Bouraq airliner to skid off the same runway two months ago. (27)