Indonesian Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules Crash

The Lockheed C-130 B Hercules Aircraft of Indonesian Air Force

30th June 2015, an unfaithful day, a C-130 Hercules aircraft belonging to the Indonesian Air Force crashed near a residential neighborhood with 12 crew and 109 passengers on board shortly after taking off from Medan, in Indonesia, to Tanjung Pinang, killing all aboard, along with 22 people on the ground.

At the time of the crash, the aircraft was transporting military personnel and their families, and possibly some paying civilian passengers, a known practice that is in violation of government regulations but is often tolerated. The aircraft was scheduled to stay overnight in Pontianak Supadio Airport with its stopover in Tanjung Pinang after refueling in Medan.

Shortly after the crash, the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force grounded the entire Hercules C-130 fleet in Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport (as the aircraft involved originated from the airport) for an inspection.

• INCIDENT

The Hercules took off at 12:08 p.m. (0508 GMT) from Soewondo Air Force Base after refuelling and embarking some passengers. It later crashed near Djamin Ginting Road in Medan about two minutes later. The crash site is approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the base. According to Indonesian Chief of Staff of the Air Force Marshal Agus Supriana, before crashing, the pilot had requested permission to return to base.

As per eyewitnesses and Indonesian media, right after the pilot indicated to the tower that the aircraft would return to base, the aircraft suddenly rolled to the right. An eyewitness said that after the aircraft rolled, it then clipped a base transceiver station, dove, "roared very loudly", and "exploded in the sky". According to most eyewitnesses, after it dived, around five explosions could be heard from 1 kilometre (0.62 mi). The aircraft became inverted, the nose then clipped a hotel, and the aircraft struck three buildings,one of them a crowded massage parlor, at a nearly perpendicular angle. It then exploded and disintegrated in what onlookers describe as "a hell-like scene", an inferno of flame, with bodies ejected onto the street.

It was the deadliest Hercules C-130 crash in Indonesia, surpassing the 1991 Hercules crash in East Jakarta, the third-deadliest air disaster in North Sumatra province, after Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 and Mandala Airlines Flight 091, and the second air disaster in Indonesia within six months, after Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 in December 2014. Coincidentally, the crash occurred only 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) away from the 2005 Mandala Airlines crash, which also occurred at a residential area in Medan and occurred minutes after takeoff. The crash also took place on the same road, which is the Djamin Ginting Road.

• Passenger and Crew

The aircraft was transporting military personnel and their families for duty rotations. The passengers included those who boarded the aircraft from Malang, Jakarta and Pekanbaru; the aircraft was scheduled to continue to Tanjung Pinang, Natuna, and Pontianak before returning to Malang. Such flights are common in Indonesia, and it is common for families to be transported together in military aircraft.

There were 101 passengers and 12 crew members on board. At least 7 people on the ground have been reported missing and feared dead.

The son of the former Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a young army officer and acquaintance of the pilot, claimed that the captain of the aircraft, Sandy Permana, was very experienced and "one of the best pilots in the Indonesian Air Force".

Identification of the victims was started on 1 July 2015. The National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) stated that around 100 bodies were found in the crash site, along with 60 body parts. The bodies were transported to Adam Malik Hospital in Medan for identification. By 4 July, at least 119 bodies had been identified and returned to their families.

• Crash site

The crash took place in a crowded residential neighborhood in Medan, Indonesia's third-largest city. The aircraft took off from Soewondo Air Force Base, formerly Polonia airport. Polonia had been the city's main commercial airport until it was replaced by Kualanamu International Airport in 2013, partly due to concerns arising from its proximity to urban areas (2 km from the city center). Soewondo now serves as the headquarters of the Air Force's Western Surveillance Wing.

Moments after the crash, onlookers began searching through the burning wreckage for survivors. Thousands of local residents attempted to approach the site. Crowds attempted to bring hoses to the site while soldiers also sterilized the area. At least four people survived the initial impact and were later admitted to the nearest hospital due to serious burn injuries. These 'survivors' were later confirmed as 'survivors on the ground', not passengers or crew. All 121 people on board died in the accident.

• Preliminary Investigation Report

The aircraft was not fitted with any flight recorders, the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee will rely on the aircraft's wreckage pattern and the pilot's flight history for the investigation. On 1 July 2015, all of the ammunition and two engines from the aircraft were successfully removed from the crash site as part of the investigation.

The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) has said that they would pay the insurance claims, which total Rp 2.25 trillion (roughly US$170 million). The investigation is expected to be completed in two weeks. It has been confirmed that the preliminary report will not be made public.

The aircraft was one of the ten C-130B's given to Indonesia by the United States in exchange for a captured CIA pilot. The aircraft had suffered from a shortage of spare parts after the US embargoed Indonesia over their part in the crisis in East Timor. In view of the aircraft's age, the crash has sparked a public outcry as to over the age of the Indonesian Air Force Hercules fleet. However, Indonesian officials deny that the aircraft's age was a factor in the crash, as they insist that the aircraft was in "good condition".

On 3 July 2015, it was learnt that one of the aircraft's propellers, engine number 4, on the right wing of the aircraft, had malfunctioned before it hit the tower, indicating a mechanical failure. All four of the aircraft's engines have been recovered from the crash site as part of the investigation. The Indonesian Minister of Defense, Ryamizard Ryacudu, also participated in the investigation.

The witnesses (roughly 90%) stated that the aircraft struck a tower before it crashed. The tower itself, was found to be illegal according to Indonesian official. As the results, the Indonesian People's Representative Council gave an advice that "illegal towers" anywhere in Indonesia had to be removed from the areas, as it was "ugly" to the scenery and "dangerous" for safety. President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla have also agreed that they need to retire old aircraft in the Indonesian Air Force's fleet, to prevent a similar tragedy.

Source - Indonesian News Agency