Engine failure blamed for crash

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Engine failure was judged the preliminary cause of a Dirgantara Air Service (DAS) aircraft crash in Samarinda, a senior airline official said on Saturday.

The light Britten Norman-2A propeller plane went down in a softball field just meters away from a house in Samarinda on Friday, leaving the pilot and co-pilot with serious injuries.

"The engine failure was revealed by the pilot and the co- pilot. However, the National Committee for Transportation Safety is investigating why the engine suddenly cut out," DAS area manager Ramli Effendi Siregar said.

Pilot Waluyo and co-pilot Asturatta are being treated at a hospital in Samarinda. -- Antara