Ill-fated F-27 black box found

SURABAYA: The Merpati Nusantara Maintenance Center (MNC) in Surabaya announced that the black box of the ill-fated Fokker-27 plane belonging to Merpati Nusantara was found on Tuesday some 50 meters away from the crash site in the Sampiran area in Sidoardjo, East Java.

The black box is now being examined in Jakarta.

Merpati's Technical Director M. Yusuf was quoted by a private TV station on Tuesday afternoon that the black box would be flown abroad for further investigation. He did not elaborate, but said that the Netherlands-made Fokker-27 was still a reliable and safe model of aircraft.

Meanwhile, a team of policeman from the forensic laboratory at Surabaya Police headquarters were examining the accident site on Tuesday.

Adj. Comr. Sudibyo, the head of the laboratory, said that his men were making detailed investigations. "We will cross-check our findings with that of Merpati," he said.

The accident site, a shrimp pond belonging to a local farmer, has become an attraction for locals.

Hundreds of people have crowded the site and made numerous attempts to cross the cordoned off area.

A resident, who saw the crash, said that the plane flew around the area three times before falling to the ground. "I saw a flame at the rear of the plane, the plane stalled and then dived to the ground. I, with some other friends, tried to approach but were kept at a distance by the explosion," Rubai said.

The plane, crewed by pilot Capt. Uto Titi, co-pilot David Mantik and mechanic Andi Mulia, was on a training exercise when it crashed. All the crew were killed. (nur/sur)