Too early to blame pilot in STABO incident: Maj. Gen.
Too early to blame pilot in STABO incident: Maj. Gen.
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
National Military Police commander Maj. Gen. Sulaiman A.B. said
on Thursday it was too soon to blame the pilot for the recent
Stabilized Tactical Airborne Operation (STABO) accident that left
eight Army Special Force (Kopassus) soldiers dead in Aceh.
The two-star general said the investigation into the accident
was continuing and that the team conducting the investigation had
yet to reach any conclusions on the responsibility for the
accident.
"Currently the team is still investigating the case and we
have yet to conclude whether the helicopter pilot is responsible
for the incident.
"If someone says the pilot must be held responsible, that is
not correct," Sulaiman said at his office on Jl. Medan Merdeka
Timur in Central Jakarta.
Sulaiman was apparently referring to Army chief Gen. Ryamizard
Ryacudu, who said in Bone, South Sulawesi, on Wednesday that the
helicopter pilot must be held responsible for the deaths of the
eight Kopassus soldiers during maneuvers in Aceh in preparation
for celebrations for the 58th anniversary of the TNI in October.
The STABO maneuver is commonly conducted by antiterror units
to evacuate hostages.
Ryamizard said the TNI investigative team had pointed the
finger of blame at the helicopter pilot for "failing to follow
procedures in the event of such an emergency".
"A mistake was made by the pilot in the incident. He should
have increased the helicopter's speed to avoid the strong winds,
but instead he elevated the chopper which resulted in more wind
pressure on the aircraft," Ryamizard said.
He said the pilot would be court-martialled. "Any errant
soldier will receive punishment, including the pilot."
Eight Kopassus soldiers plunged into the sea off Lhokseumawe
in the war-torn Aceh province on Oct. 4 after the harness they
were suspended from on the outside of the helicopter was cut when
the helicopter became unstable in strong winds.
Following the incident, TNI Headquarters established an
investigative team led by Maj. Gen. Dadi Susanto, an intelligence
assistant to the TNI's chief for general affairs. Sulaiman is a
member of the team.
Sulaiman did not say whether the team had identified the
soldier or soldier on board the helicopter who gave the order to
cut the harness. There were four other Kopassus soldiers on board
the helicopter at the time of the incident, besides the pilot who
would likely have been focused on trying to control the aircraft.