Garuda jet skids off in Taipei runway

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)