Captain arrested over Garuda crash

Indonesian police have arrested the Garuda captain who crashed a Boeing 737 at Yogyakarta Airport last year, killing 21 people including five Australians. Captain Marwoto Komar was imprisoned by police last night, following a 10 hour interrogation. Police in Yogjakarta have now charged Komar with six manslaughter counts, for which he could face up to seven years jail, ABC Radio reported this morning. Indonesian police were not available for comment, but a lawyer for Captain Komar confirmed he had been taken into custody. Police claimed there was a risk he could flee the country or destroy evidence. The lawyer who accompanied Captain Komar to Yogyakarta Police Headquarters, Mohammad Assegaf, said that charging the pilot would set a "bad precedent" in Indonesia and make other pilots reluctant to fly. Captain Komar attempted to land the 737 at nearly double the safe speed on March 7, 2007. It overshot the runway and burst into flames. An air safety inquiry report into the accident issued by Indonesia's National Transport Safety Committee in November said Captain Komar ignored 15 automatic warnings not to land. Captian Komar was named suspect in the accident after the report was released in November. He was questioned after the accident by police, but yesterday's interrogation is understood to have been far more intensive. His co-pilot is understood to have provided evidence against Captain Marwoto.

YouTube | September 6, 2008

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