A Lion Air station handling manager at Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, says that initial investigations suggest that strong winds caused a Lion Air aircraft to slide while landing.
“The plane was already in landing position. It was flying slowly when suddenly a gust of wind blew from behind and pushed the plane off its line,” Rachmansyah N. said Sunday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.
He said that the wind speed was estimated at around 20-30 knots, carrying significant force.
“This is very strong, because the normal speed is only five to 10 knots,” he said.
The accident forced Sepinggan Airport to close for six hours, affecting a number of flights both into and out of Balikpapan.
All 193 passengers were reported safe.
Balikpapan airport closed six hours after Lion Air lapse
Sepinggan International airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, said that it was forced to close for six hours on Sunday due to the flawed landing of a Lion Air aircraft.
“The closure was for six hours from 7:25 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” airport manager Indranata said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
He said that the airport had to be closed to concentrate on rescuing the plane, which had sunk its back wheels 20 meters into the ground of the airport’s run and safety area following the skid.
Indranata said that a National Commission for Transportation Safety investigation would not be necessary.
“It was only a slip and the plane will immediately be taken to the Lion Air base camp,” he said.
The closure affected several arrivals to the airport, which had to be diverted. Flights departing from the airport were also delayed.
Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang S. Ervan confirmed that a Lion Air B 737-900 ER aircraft plying the Tarakan-Balikpapan route landing in Balikpapan strayed 15 meters off its position due to wheel damage.
All 193 passengers were safe, he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment