Sumanto fails to escape second crash

Sumanto fails to escape second crash

Slamet Susanto and Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post/Yogyakarta

Residents of Pehserut in Nganjuk, East Java, could not believe
that Maj. Sumanto was among the Air Force personnel killed in a
helicopter crash in Wonosobo, Central Java, on Thursday.

"I was trying to remember whether Sumanto was the one who
escaped death in an aircraft crash in July in our subdistrict. As
I watched the news coverage on TV, me and the other residents
here were convinced that it was the same Sumanto," said Pehserut
resident Imam Gohzali on Friday.

Sumanto, a popular Air Force flight instructor, survived a
crash on July 6 this year in the subdistrict.

He way flying a Bravo light training aircraft that went down
in a paddy field in the subdistrict. To the surprise of many,
Sumanto walked away from that crash without injury.

At the time of the July crash, Sumanto was trailing Capt.
Adriyadi, who was flying another Bravo aircraft. The two were
traveling from the Adi Sucipto air base in Yogyakarta to the
Abdurrachman Saleh air base in Malang, East Java.

Adriyadi also was among the 14 Air Force personnel killed in
the Wonosobo crash.

"Sumanto's aircraft was destroyed, but he survived. The
residents could not believe it," Imam said.

Many residents considered Sumanto a hero and blessed by God
after he walked away from that earlier crash.

However, Sumanto could not escape death five months later. The
Super Puma helicopter that he was riding went down in the
mountains near Wonosobo in bad weather, killing all 14 people
aboard.

"We pray that his soul will be accepted by God," said Imam,
as quoted by Antara news agency. Sumanto is survived by his wife
Dede Kurniasih and their two daughters, Delia, 5, and Amelia, 3.

Hundreds of residents came out for Sumanto's funeral on
Saturday in Manjung subdistrict, Magetan regency, East Java.

The accident also left a gaping hole in the family of Second
Lt. Norman Nugroho, who was to marry Ina Zulianti, 24, in April.
The wedding was canceled permanently when Norman died in the
crash in Wonosobo.

Ina's misery was unbearable, particularly as she thought about
the birthday present she already had bought for her husband-to-
be. She planned to give the gift to Norman when he celebrated his
27th birthday on Dec. 24.

"Happy birthday, darling. Hope you are happy with God," Ina
said while gently touching a picture of Norman during his funeral
on Friday.

Norman entered the Air Force Academy in 2001 after graduating
at the top of his high school class in Magelang.

Ina saw Norman for the last time on Sunday, and she said there
were no signs that he was going to die soon in a tragic accident.