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.