Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 8968
Encyclopedia
Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 8968 was a domestic passenger flight from Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia, to Kaimana
, West Papua, Indonesia. On 7 May 2011, the Merpati Nusantara Airlines
Xian MA60
aircraft operating the flight crashed off the coast of West Papua on approach to Kaimana Airport
in heavy rain. There were 21 passengers and four crew on board the aircraft; all were killed.
at about 1400 local time (0500 UTC) when it crashed into water about 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) before the runway. The weather at the time of the incident was rain and fog, with visibility less than 2000 metres (6,561.7 ft). An official at the Ministry of Air Transportation said that "there was heavy rainfall, which shortened the [pilot's] range of vision. It was also very dark." After impacting the water, the aircraft broke into at least two main pieces and sank in about 30 metres (98.4 ft) of water. According to a local navy officer, the aircraft "exploded" on impact, killing all on board.
was recovered on 9 May after a search that was hampered by a strong underwater current that necessitated the fuselage to be anchored to the seabed. After examination, it was discovered that the contents of the recorder were encrypted in Chinese; as a result, the recorder was sent to China to be decrypted.
On 10 May, Merpati Nusantara's president, Sardjono Jhony Tjitrokusumo offered to resign if the crash was the fault of the airline, saying that "I am ready to tender my resignation if the error was from Merpati's side."
On 13 May, the Indonesian government ordered Merpati Nusantara to perform safety inspections on its other twelve MA60 aircraft. In announcing the order, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
said that "[t]here should be a prevention effort and inspection of the same type of Merpati aircraft [...] This [is] important to the public so they can get clear explanation."
Kaimana
Kaimana is a small port town in West Papua, Indonesia and capital of the Kaimana Regency.It is served by Kaimana Airport. Kaimana is part of a Sea Conservation Area in West Papua.Butterflies in the surrounding forest of Karora are reported to be on the brink of extinction due to logging in the...
, West Papua, Indonesia. On 7 May 2011, the Merpati Nusantara Airlines
Merpati Nusantara Airlines
Merpati Nusantara Airlines is a commuter airline based in Central Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is a major domestic airline operating scheduled services to more than 25 destinations in Indonesia, as well as scheduled international services to East Timor and Malaysia. Its main base is...
Xian MA60
Xian MA60
|-See also:-References:* Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5.-External links:* * *...
aircraft operating the flight crashed off the coast of West Papua on approach to Kaimana Airport
Kaimana Airport
Kaimana Airport is an airport serving Kaimana, located in the province of West Papua in Indonesia.-Facilities:The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level...
in heavy rain. There were 21 passengers and four crew on board the aircraft; all were killed.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved, an Xian MA-60 registered PK-MZK, had entered service in October 2010, and had flown for a total of 615 hours at the time of the incident.Accident
The aircraft was on final approach, after holding for fifteen minutes, to the Kaimana AirportKaimana Airport
Kaimana Airport is an airport serving Kaimana, located in the province of West Papua in Indonesia.-Facilities:The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level...
at about 1400 local time (0500 UTC) when it crashed into water about 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) before the runway. The weather at the time of the incident was rain and fog, with visibility less than 2000 metres (6,561.7 ft). An official at the Ministry of Air Transportation said that "there was heavy rainfall, which shortened the [pilot's] range of vision. It was also very dark." After impacting the water, the aircraft broke into at least two main pieces and sank in about 30 metres (98.4 ft) of water. According to a local navy officer, the aircraft "exploded" on impact, killing all on board.
Casualties
There were 25people on board the aircraft, of which 21 were passengers, four were crew, and two were unspecified technicians. Between fifteen and eighteen bodies were recovered in the immediate aftermath of the crash, with the remainder still trapped in the aircraft. Of the dead, three were young children, including a baby. A search involving ten Navy divers was initiated to recover additional bodies, though weather conditions and equipment difficulties made the effort unsuccessful.Aftermath
The aircraft's flight recorderFlight recorder
A flight recorder is an electronic recording device placed in an aircraft for the purpose of facilitating the investigation of an aircraft accident or incident. For this reason, flight recorders are required to be capable of surviving the conditions likely to be encountered in a severe aircraft...
was recovered on 9 May after a search that was hampered by a strong underwater current that necessitated the fuselage to be anchored to the seabed. After examination, it was discovered that the contents of the recorder were encrypted in Chinese; as a result, the recorder was sent to China to be decrypted.
On 10 May, Merpati Nusantara's president, Sardjono Jhony Tjitrokusumo offered to resign if the crash was the fault of the airline, saying that "I am ready to tender my resignation if the error was from Merpati's side."
On 13 May, the Indonesian government ordered Merpati Nusantara to perform safety inspections on its other twelve MA60 aircraft. In announcing the order, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
said that "[t]here should be a prevention effort and inspection of the same type of Merpati aircraft [...] This [is] important to the public so they can get clear explanation."
Cause
The cause of the crash was not immediately determined; a spokesperson from Indonesia's transport ministry said that "We also don't know what caused the accident, but the weather was pretty bad at the time."External links
- "turut%20dukacita.jpg" (Archive) – Merpati Nusantara Airlines
- National Transportation Safety CommitteeNational Transportation Safety CommitteeThe National Transportation Safety Committee is an Indonesian government agency charged with the investigation of air, land, rail, and marine transportation safety deficiencies. It has its headquarters in Jakarta....
