Pilot inhibited terrain warning system says report

Neelam Mathews

Dec 18, 2012

Crashed Sukhoi Superjet Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee has completed the investigation of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 RRJ-95B aircraft, registered 97004 with flight number RA 3680, that crashed into Mount Salak, West Java in May killing 45. The inquiry finds the crew switched off the terrain-warning and was distracted by conversation, before hitting the mountain.

The pilot of the Russian-made aircraft may have been distracted as he was talking to a potential customer, said Tatang Kurniadi, head of Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee. The pilot’s lack of familiarity with the West Java region and poor planning were other factors.

The 90-seat SuperJet was carrying reporters and potential customers as part of a regional promotional tour. The report used information obtained from air traffic services transcripts, Indonesian National Search and Rescue (Basarnas) reports, flight records, the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. Indonesia has, meanwhile, certified Russian-made Sukhoi civilian jets as airworthy. Sky Aviation and Kartika Airlines have ordered 12 and 30 Sukhoi Superjets, respectively.