JAKARTA - An Indonesian passenger plane carrying more than 100 people veered off a runway as it landed in Papua, then snapped in half as it came to rest in a nearby river, a transport ministry official said on Tuesday. About 20 passengers and a member of the cabin crew on the Merpati Nusantara Airlines plane were injured in the accident and taken to hospital, the official said.
Several small domestic carriers serve Indonesia's sprawling archipelago and many have poor safety records. Papua, about 1,830 miles east of the capital, Jakarta, is one of the most isolated and underdeveloped regions of Indonesia. There are few roads in the province, which occupies the western half of the island of New Guinea, and air travel is a common form of transport.
The European Commission, which had barred all Indonesian airlines from its airspace, only last year lifted a ban on four Indonesian carriers — flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, Mandala, Airfast and Premiair — after they had improved safety standards.
I don’t know why you would, but if you ever have to go to Indonesia, I’d try to find an alternative method of travel. You don’t want to be flying in any planes that could just up and snap in two. I mean, if you hear “snap in half,” you think maybe a pencil, or a Ritz cracker, or maybe even a chair leg. But not a fucking airplane!
If you’re ever having a bad day, or thinking you’re life sucks, just remember: Where we live, at least our airplanes don’t snap in half upon landing.
Indonesian Airplane Snaps in Half Upon Landing
