Follow cabin crew's instructions

My sympathy goes to the victims of the recent aviation mishap involving a Lion Air aeroplane crash-landing at a Surakarta airport. However, there are some issues that I believe need addressing.

The immediate media reaction, in many cases, was quite irresponsible -- allocating blame for the accident before any formal investigations had taken place. Tarnishing the reputation of individuals or organizations by such reporting is easy. Restoring those reputations at a later date if official inquiries exonerate them is almost impossible.

As a former journalist, I rejoice in the increasing press freedom in this country, but point out that with the freedom to report events comes greater responsibility to protect the rights of people and companies.

One report of the accident, carried in a Singapore online newspaper, suggested that many people on board the ill-fated aircraft had unbuckled their seat belts immediately on touchdown in Surakarta. Whether this is factual account of this particular incident, I cannot say. However, I know from experience that it could well have been the case.

As someone who has an absolute dread of flying, I have made it my business to study many aspects of aviation safety procedures and have flown many hundreds of miles with many different carriers.

On every trip, cabin crew have given clear pre-landing instructions for people to remain buckled up and in their seats until the aircraft comes to a complete standstill. In the interests of everyone's safety, cabin crew have then buckled themselves into their own seats for landing. International aviation safety regulators are adamant that it is essential for crew to be as protected from injury as possible, so that they can then aid passengers in an emergency.

My research suggests that aircraft are at their most vulnerable during takeoff and landing. Yet, almost without exception, I have witnessed many passengers unbuckle their seat belts almost as soon as the wheels touch the ground and have often watched people actually rise from their seats and start to open overhead lockers while the engines are still in reverse thrust mode. Crew, meanwhile, in accordance with safety procedures, have remained in their seats.

On two occasions -- both with overseas airlines -- crew members have left their own seats to instruct passengers to sit down and re-buckle their belts. This put those crew members in direct danger had an emergency arisen, and they would have been unable to fulfill their duties to passengers.

PAT IRVING Bogor, West Java