Hat-trick: Aircraft Incidents on Runway at Sultan Hasanuddin Airport

Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar has recorded an incident on the runway for the third time in three consecutive days. On Wednesday (26/8), a charter aircraft belonging to PT VAST Intra Avia was reported to have experienced a technical problem whilst in the airport area.

Unlike the two previous incidents involving aircraft belonging to the Indonesian Air Force and Navy, this time the problem was experienced by a civilian surveillance aircraft. PGS. Branch Communication & CSR Department Head of PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia (Persero) Sultan Hasanuddin Airport, Taufan Yudhistira, confirmed the incident.

The Piper PA-31 Navajo aircraft was reported to have experienced a problem with its wheel lock system. Immediately after receiving the report, airport personnel were deployed to the location to carry out evacuation procedures.

The process of moving the aircraft from the runway to the apron took approximately 30 minutes. Taufan assured that the handling was carried out quickly and precisely so that it did not significantly disrupt air traffic flow.

Although this was the third incident in the last three days, Angkasa Pura Indonesia emphasised that flight operations at Sultan Hasanuddin Airport continued to run normally. This was possible because the airport has more than one runway.

“No flights from Sultan Hasanuddin Airport were affected, because Sultan Hasanuddin Airport has another runway. Airport operations also continue to run normally,” said Taufan.

Currently, the Piper PA-31 Navajo aircraft is on the apron to undergo further technical inspection before being permitted to continue its flight to Juanda Airport, Surabaya.