March 7 In History: 21 Killed In Garuda Indonesia Accident At Adisutjipto Airport

GA200 accident at Adisutjipto Airport (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

JAKARTA - On March 7, 2007, a B737-400 aircraft belonging to Garuda Indonesia skidded at Adisutjipto Airport, Yogyakarta. The plane was caught on fire. 21 passengers were killed. The pilot was sentenced to two years in prison.

The Jakarta-Yogyakarta GA200 flight carried 133 passengers and seven crew. Reporting from various sources, severe shocks occurred twice when the plane landed. The shock was followed by sparks and smoke from the front wheels.

The plane got out of control, passed over the runway until it sped into the grass, and descended under a three-meter-deep embankment, past the road divider and down onto the two-way highway. The plane stopped at a peanut grove.

The plane was already on fire by then, with two engines on the left and right already out. Suddenly a huge explosion occurred. Dozens of rescue teams, including firefighters and ambulances responded.

The cause of the accident of GA200

The National Transportation Safety Commission (NTSC) released the results of an investigation which said the plane had taken a too sharp approach. What is the approach? The approach is the landing phase when the aircraft approaches the runway.

The correct approach is when the altitude, speed, and glide path limits are below the tolerance limit. In the context of the GA200 crash, the plane was late for touching the runway.

The pilot tried to catch up with the delay. But failed because the vertical speed was too high. When the wheels touched the runway, the plane became difficult to control. A collision occurred. The plane was bounced off the runway.

Din Syamsuddin, who was still the General Chairman of Muhammadiyah Central Leader Board at that time, was on the plane. He testified how the plane seemed to slide unstoppable. The cabin condition then shook violently.

"The plane seemed to be gliding and could not be stopped. Then, everything shook. When it stopped, it seemed like I woke up again", said Din, as reported by Kompas Daily, April 12, 2007 edition.

Two-year GA200 pilot sentence

GA200 pilot M Marwoto Komar was sentenced to two years in prison for this accident. The sentence was handed down by a panel of judges at the Sleman District Court after serving a trial for nearly six months.

The sentence was two years lower than the prosecutor required. Marwoto is considered to have committed a crime related to negligence which resulted in the aircraft being unusable or damaged, resulting in the death of people and causing harm to others in accordance with Articles 479 G (b) and 479 G (a) of the Criminal Code.

The omission is that Marwoto did not communicate the problems he faced during the landing preparations to the co-pilot Gagam. The lack of coordination, according to the judge, caused the impact of airplane accidents to be minimized.

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