 The accident scene | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 20 May 2009 |
| Summary | Hit houses on approach |
| Site | Magetan, East Java, Indonesia 7°39′S 111°22′E / 7.650°S 111.367°E |
| Total fatalities | 99 |
| Total survivors | 15 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed L-100-30(P) Hercules |
| Operator |  Indonesian Air Force |
| Registration | A-1325 |
| Flight origin | Jakarta-Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport (HLP/WIHH) |
| Destination | Iswahyudi Air Force Base (WARI), Indonesia |
| Passengers | 98 |
| Crew | 14 |
| Fatalities | 97 |
| Survivors | 15 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 2 |
On 20 May 2009, an Indonesian Air Force Lockheed L-100-30(P) Hercules carrying 112 people (98 passengers and 14 crew) crashed at about 6:30 local time (23:30 UTC), while flying from Jakarta to eastern Java.[1] The crash resulted in 99 deaths, 2 of which occurred on impact when the aircraft struck at least four houses before skidding into a rice paddy in the village of Geplak.[2][3] and at least 70 others were taken to a local hospital.[4] This is considered among the worst air disasters in Indonesian history[5] and was the first Air Force crash since the 1991 Jakarta Indonesian Air Force C-130 crash, which also involved a Hercules.[6]
The airplane, a civilian Lockheed L-100-30(P) version of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, registration A-1325[7] had been on a normal flight transporting military personnel and their families to Iswahyudi Air Force Base.[8] The plane prepared to land on base but instead crashed about 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) northwest of the north end of the runway,[9] bursting into flames upon impact. Flying conditions were good and the weather was clear at the time of the crash.[10] [6][9] Air control communicated with the crew minutes before the crash and indicated no issues.[11][9] 11 of the 15 survivors were treated at Dr. Soedono Hospital and 4 at the base's hospital.[8] All deceased were identified by the evening of May 22.[12]
The Indonesian Air Force said it was unlikely that the cause of the plane crash would be shared publicly, a practice said to be a military standard around the world.[13] The plane had passed inspection the day before the crash.[11] Witnesses variously claimed seeing fire inside the plane; hearing two explosions; nuts and bolts falling to the ground up to 2km away from the crash site; and a wing snapping off the aircraft.[14][9][11] A survivor said that "it felt like the plane's engines just stopped and then the aircraft began to break apart in mid-air."[9] Others speculate that the Hercules series is poorly designed but the Air Force is too underfunded to afford safer planes or spare parts for aircraft they do have.[14][9][11][15]