Too early to decide 'cause of crash'

Too early to decide 'cause of crash'

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) experts
investigating Monday's Mandala plane crash in Medan are still
looking for major clues that could determine the cause of the
accident.

The head of the committee, Setio Rahardjo, said on Wednesday
it was too early to conclude that engine failure caused the
accident, in which the Boeing 737-200 slammed into a crowded
residential area seconds after takeoff.

"We found that a turbine blade was damaged. We also found that
the three screw jack actuators came loose from a wing flap. But
it will take thorough analysis to determine what caused the
accident," Setio told a media conference.

He said his team was finding it difficult to locate four other
important parts of the aircraft that could help facilitate the
investigation. He also called on people to hand in any equipment
they found to the team.

Setio did not elaborate on what equipment his team was
searching for.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has sent
three investigators to assist in the probe. The flight recorders,
one for data and another for voice, will be sent for analysis to
the NTSB in Washington.

The team is headed by senior NTSB investigator William
English, the U.S. accredited representative named in accordance
with procedures of the International Civil Aviation Organization,
of which Indonesia is a member. He is assisted by two NTSB
specialists with expertise in airplane structures and aircraft
engines, an investigator from the Federal Aviation Administration
and investigators from the aircraft manufacturer.

Setio said it could take the NTSB a year to complete the
analysis of the flight recorders, as it was still examining
recorders of three other Indonesian planes that crashed earlier.

"Don't expect to hear the results in the near future. The
analyses of the last flight recorders we sent to the U.S. over
six months ago have not completed so far," he said.

Setio dismissed speculation that the plane was carrying too
heavy a baggage load.

"The plane weighed three kilograms less than the maximum
weight for a Boeing 737-200 of 52,000 kilograms," Setio said.

Military and police personnel began on Wednesday clearing the
plane wreckage from the residential area to allow public
transportation access.