A Merpati airlines turboprop crashed into the water in fog and rain, less than half a mile from its intended runway in Kaimana, an eastern province. All 27 people aboard were killed and so far only 15 bodies are reported to have been recovered.
No reason has been given for the crash and it is a possibility it could remain unsolved as few other recent crashes in Indonesia have because onboard recorders malfunctioned or couldn’t be deciphered after data was downloaded.
Aviation safety experts have said the crash would undermine efforts by the Indonesian government, along with its flag-carrier PT Garuda Indonesia, to persuade US and European regulators about the country’s aviation-safety improvements.
Garuda is preparing to join the SkyTeam next year. The airline was removed from the European community’s airline blacklist in summer 2009 and a few other, smaller Indonesian carriers also have been taken off the blacklist recently. Garuda is unable to significantly increase its service to and from the US because of Indonesia’s poor safety ranking by the Federal Aviation Administration.