Investigation also indicates there was a long discussion between pilot and his assistant that was not related to the flight trip.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Poor knowledge of local area is among reasons behind deadly plane crash that happens to Russia-made Sukhoi Superjet 100 plane in Mount Salak, Bogor district, West Java province, last May 2012, official said.
"Pilot of the ill-fated plane did not have enough knowledge about the condition of mountainous area around the flight zone hence when the Terrain Awareness System (TAWS) gave warning about possible crash he ignored it," Chairman of National Transportation Safety Committee Tatang Kurniadi said here on Tuesday.
According to investigation led by KNKT, Tatang said, before the plane crashed, pilot (a Russian national) had asked permission from the local air traffic center to lower the plane`s height to prepare for landing. Some 38 seconds before the plane crashed, the anti-terrain alarm beeped repeatedly. Unfortunately, the pilot decided to turn off the alarm thinking that there was problem in the system.
Investigation also indicates there was a long discussion between pilot and his assistant that was not related to the flight trip.
"Pilot who was on discussion with his assistant did not immediately change direction of the flight according to instruction, hence the plane was out of orbit," Tatang said.
Another result of the investigation says Jakarta Radar System has not yet equipped with Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW) that can work in Mount Salak area.
"It was not until the plane had crashed that the system gave warning to officials operating the Jakarta Radar System," he added.
The Russian-made SSJ-100 with 45 people on board - eight Russians, 35 Indonesians, one Frenchman, and one American - was on a demonstration flight when it crashed into Mount Salak in Bogor district, West Java, on Wednesday (May 9) afternoon.
All the 45 passengers and crew members on board the plane were killed in the accident.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
