TNI chief halts all air missions
TNI chief halts all air missions
Slamet Susanto and Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post/Yogyakarta
Indonesia Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Soetarto ordered on Friday that all TNI helicopters be temporarily grounded the day after a helicopter crash in Wonosobo that killed 14 Air Force personnel.
"All helicopters must be grounded temporarily, including the Army's Bell 205 helicopters. All air missions, including flight training during bad weather, will be put to a temporary halt," the four-star Army general was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.
Endriartono said the air missions would be reinstated only after all Indonesian Military helicopters had undergone thorough checks.
"The safety of personnel has to be the first priority. We cannot hesitate to delay or cancel any mission if it is thought to pose a danger to personnel," said Endriartono after leading a ceremony at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force base in Jakarta.
During the ceremony, the bodies of seven Air Force personnel killed in Thursday's crash were handed over to their families for burial.
Air Force chief Marshal Chappy Hakim said in Yogyakarta the Air Force had established a team to investigate the fatal crash on Thursday in the mountains near Wonosobo, Central Java.
"We expect the results of the investigation to come out soon. But for the time being, we suspect that bad weather was behind the accident," said Chappy.
The Super Puma chopper, which was traveling from the Adi Sutjipto air base in Yogyakarta to the Kalijati air base in Subang, West Java, went down in the mountainous area amid bad weather.
According to reports, the helicopter was manufactured by state-owned aircraft maker PT IPTN in 1992 and was in good condition before the crash.
The accident occurred just a day after another military helicopter crash in Nabire, Papua.
Chappy said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called him a few hours after the crash on Thursday to express his deepest condolences.
House of Representatives legislator Soeripto blamed the practice of "cannibalization" in the military fleet for the crash.
Cannibalization refers to the practice of military mechanics using parts from grounded military vehicles or aircraft to repair other vehicles and aircraft.
"That's what I'm worried about. As for bad weather, all aircraft can be subject to bad weather. If an aircraft is flying using incompatible spare parts it is very dangerous," he was quoted as saying by AFP.
The Wonosobo crash is just the latest in a series of military chopper accidents over the past several months. On Wednesday, a Navy helicopter smashed into a river in Nabire, Papua, killing five. That crash also occurred amid bad weather.
In October, eight military personnel were killed when their Army Bell 205 helicopter crashed in bad weather in Bireuen, Aceh.