Did he, or did he not, cause the crash?

by Iva Skoch on

Pilots in Jakarta have been protesting over the arrest of Marwoto Komar, the Garuda national airline pilot accused of causing the 2007 plane crash, which killed 21 people. There are, of course, two sides of the story.

The pilot has been under police supervision since the crash, BBC reports. The chairman of the Indonesian Pilots Federation, Manotar Napitupulu, said that the “criminalization of pilots will put pilots under pressure in carrying out their job”. The federation has been receiving support from pilots’ groups around the globe.

On the other hand, the Indonesia’s National Transport Safety Committee said that the pilot ignored 15 warnings against landing and approached the runway too fast. He has been charged with five offenses, including negligence causing deaths and the destruction of an aircraft and could face more than five years in jail.

This is a tough one. I don’t envy the responsibility pilots have over human lives. Yet, not even pilots are immune from making bad judgments…

Photo of the Day (12-11-07)

by Martha Edwards on


My favourite time of the day, no matter where I am, is dusk — when the hurried craziness of the city is winding down into stillness and calm. This photo from Lady Expat illustrates this so well. She doesn’t specify where this is taken but from her other photos, I assume it’s Bali. But it’s one of those photos that could be from anywhere, you know?

Want to submit your photo? Join our Gadling Flickr pool.

Random chunk of wing found off the runway in Indonesia

by Martha Edwards on

Recently, aviation officials in Indonesia have found a 10-foot chunk of wing discarded on the side of the domestic flight runway of Jakarta’s Sukarno-Hatta International Airport. If that wasn’t disconcerting enough, consider this: They don’t know which plane it came from. Wow, sure makes an air traveller in Indonesia feel safe, eh?

Couple that with the fact that Indonesia has experienced a number of aircraft accidents in the last little while and you’ve got a questionable-at-best airline industry. In fact, Indonesia’s airline safety rating, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration, is in the lowest possible category. Why? Their maintenance record is poor, they cut corners and they have a lack of trained professionals working in the industry.

I’m not really a nervous flyer but this all sounds a bit dodgy. You might want to consider taking a ferry for domestic travel in Indonesia. Though lord only knows how safe that is …

The World’s Most Polluted River?

by Justin Glow on

The Daily Mail is reporting on the heavily polluted Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia — so polluted, in fact, that “[locals] no longer try to fish. It is more profitable to forage for rubbish they can salvage and trade – plastic bottles, broken chair legs, rubber gloves – risking disease for one or two pounds a week if they are lucky.”

Just how polluted could it be? Have a look at the photos.

With over nine million people living nearby, and 500 factories using the shores as a chemical dumping ground, it’s no wonder it looks the way it does. Absolutely appalling. [via]

Missing Tourist Found After 8 Days On Indonesian Mountain

by Jonathon Morgan on

Franz Resch, a 46-year-old tourist from Austria, left his hotel on January 23 to climb the Sibayak Mountain. 8 days, and one rescue operation later, he was found alive in a village in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province.

After Resch’s hotel declared him missing, rescue workers found his boots, soft drink cans, books and mattress, but couldn’t locate the lost tourist. When villagers finally discovered him, they reported it to local police, who immediately took Resch to the hospital.

According to local police, he “is very weak.”

Being lost alone in the mountains must be a harrowing experience. After surviving this long, we can only hope Resch goes on to make a full recovery.