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.