Merpati aborts flight

JAKARTA (JP): A Merpati Nusantara Airlines Fokker-100 was forced to return to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport for an emergency landing Friday night after problems with its landing gear, Antara reported yesterday.

The plane was 15 minutes into its flight from Jakarta to Palembang, South Sumatra, when the crew discovered the landing gear would not fold back.

They returned and made an emergency landing stopping 200 meters from the airport's departure terminal causing panic among the passengers.

The passengers were shocked but no one was injured.

They were flown to Palembang in two separate flights Saturday morning, said an MNA staff member at the airport. (09)