Seventeen killed in plane crash

Seventeen killed in plane crash

JAKARTA (JP): Seventeen people were killed and four critically
injured when a Cassa-100 light aircraft crashed near the South
Kalimantan capital of Banjarmasin on Saturday.

The Dirgantara Air Service aircraft with 17 people on board
bound for Sampit, Central Kalimantan, crashed into a gas factory
three kilometers east of Banjarmasin's Syamsudin Noor airport.

Those killed were pilot Heri Bert and co-pilot Sofyan Noor, 14
passengers and a factory worker on the ground. The only survivor
was identified as Irianto, a 40-year-old passenger.

A child and a woman from the plane died enroute to the
hospital. Three factory workers were hospitalized with serious
burn injuries, Antara reported.

Airport officials said the accident happened at about 3:30
p.m. local time, just minutes after the locally-built aircraft
took off in the drizzly weather.

While visiting the crash site on Sunday, Transportation
Minister Haryanto Dhanutiro ordered investigation into the
accident.

"The IPTN (the Bandung-based National Aircraft Industry) which
built the aircraft should also be involved in the investigation,"
he said.

The minister said provisional reports suggested that engine
failure might have caused the accident.

Airport officials said the Spanish-designed aircraft's right
engine caught fire soon after the plane took off.

"The pilot told the control tower of the trouble but the
airplane crashed before he could return to the airport," he said.
He added that the aircraft had changed direction when it crashed.

Haryanto attended the transfer of the 17 bodies to their
families at the Syamsudin Noor's Air Force Hospital.

Dirgantara Air Service officials were unavailable for comment
yesterday.

Antara reported that the factory belonging to PT Barox Utama
Jaya that produces acetylene was burned upon the impact.

The owner of the factory said he would seek Dirgantara Air
Service to his property he estimated at Rp 500 million
(US$212,000).

Alimuddin, chairman of the Banjarmasin branch of the state-run
insurance company PT Asuransi Jasa Raharja Putera, said the
relatives of each of the dead victims are entitled to Rp 40
million and the injured Rp 10 million. (pan)