Garuda jet skids off in Taipei runway

JAKARTA (JP): A Garuda Indonesia airplane with 351 people on board skidded off the main runway at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, early yesterday, injuring four people.

The Boeing 747-200 careered past the end of the runway and continued for about 300 meters before finally coming to a halt, witnesses were quoted by AFP as saying.

Five tires reportedly burst and the plane was still mired in the mud yesterday.

A distraught passenger, Chen A-yeh, recalled: "I saw fire burst out in one of the wings, and then I heard one lady shout 'run.'"

Other passengers said the plane may have developed problems before taking off from Bali late Wednesday as it had been badly delayed.

In an interview with local TV, an airport controller said however that he suspected human error because he saw the plane approach the airport too fast.

Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) technicians have seized the "black box", recording flight data and the dialogue between the pilot and the control tower.

CAA officials said the reason behind the accident would be determined in two days.

The main runway was shut down and the operation of the airport was slightly affected.

The airline did not identify in its release the four who were hospitalized, but said three of them were only bruised while the other one suffered a fractured foot. It also said that the jet was navigated by Capt. Papilaya and had a crew of 19.

The company also said the machinery below the wings was unaffected by the impact.

Garuda's cabin crew managed to evacuate the passengers smoothly through the airplane's seven emergency doors. Apart from the four injured, everyone else was safe and healthy, according to the company.

The company also said that the Boeing 747-200 had been operating since July 2, 1980 and had undergone regular maintenance. Regular health and skills tests are undertaken by the flight crew every six months and cabin crew every year. (01)