Pilots of crash plane grounded

Pilots of crash plane grounded

The pilot and co-pilot of the Garuda aircraft that
crashed in the Central Java town of Klaten last week have been
declared unfit to fly pending a series of recovery tests, an
official says.

Garuda's vice president corporate communications Pujobroto
told a press conference on Thursday that the two airmen, captain
Abdul Rozag and co-pilot Heryadi Gunawan, would have to regain
both their mental fitness and skills before returning to the
cockpit.

Pujobroto said he was unsure about how long the temporary lay-
off would last, but Rozag said it would take him two weeks to
fully recover.

"I will have to undergo a flight test again, although my
license remains valid," Rozag, who also attended the media
conference, said.

With both engines having failed, the Boeing 737-300 aircraft,
flight number GA-421, crash-landed in the Bengawan Solo river
last Wednesday in bad weather en route to Yogyakarta from Ampenan
in West Nusa Tenggara. One of the female flight attendants, Santi
Anggraeni, was killed and 22 people were injured in the accident.

Minister of Transportation Agum Gumelar has promised rewards
to the pilot and copilot for their courage, but Pujobroto said he
did not know anything about this. -- Antara