Plane's tires burst at Sentani

Plane's tires burst at Sentani

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: A Fokker F-27 plane with 45 people on
board had four of its tires burst as it was landing at Sentani
airport on Tuesday.

Fortunately, there were no fatalities because captain Wibowo
and co-pilot Dede Nurul managed to keep the plane on the runway
and bring it to a screeching halt.

The plane, belonging to the state-owned Merpati Nusantara
Airlines, was flying in from Manokwari and Nabire. It was
carrying 40 passengers and five crew members, Antara reported.

Sentani airport was closed for two hours while workers pulled
the plane off the runway.

The plane was later declared airworthy after the four tires
were replaced. (emb)