Control Tower Tapes Destroy Garuda Pilot's Wind Shear Claim

CLAIMS by the two Garuda pilots involved in last week's fatal crash that the jet was brought down by a sudden gust of wind have been discredited by the pair's own conversations with air-traffic controllers.

Transcripts obtained by The Australian reveal a routine descent before the disaster in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, with wind conditions described several times as ''calm''.

As the bodies of the five Australians who died were being prepared for repatriation last night, the two pilots were interviewed by Indonesian police and could face charges over the tragedy. The new control tower evidence confirms there were no sudden gusts of wind as flight GA200 came in to land on Wednesday. This contradicts reported claims by the two pilots that the plane was subjected to a sudden down draft.

Nor was there any suggestion of alarm or panic on the Boeing 737-400's flight deck during its final seconds, according to a transcript of the control tower's routine conversation with Captain Marwoto Komar and his co-pilot, Gagam Rachman.

The five Australians among the 21 people killed when the plane overshot the runway are Australian Financial Review journalist Morgan Mellish, Jakarta embassy staff members Liz O'Neill and Allison Sudrajat and Australian Federal Police officers Mark Scott and Brice Steele. Their bodies were to be flown out of Yogyakarta last night.

Sydney Morning Herald journalist Cynthia Banham remains in a critical condition in Royal Perth Hospital after one leg and part of another was amputated this week in an attempt to save her life. Another survivor, Hong Kong-based Australian banker Roger Tallboys, is being treated in Singapore.

According to the still-secret log of control tower communications with pilots using Yogyakarta airspace last Wednesday, Komar and Rachman made an unremarkable descent with visual identification of the runway established about 16km from their destination.

At 23:52 GMT, or 7.52am local time, the plane was given clearance to descend to 2500ft in preparation to land.

At the same time, a military flight bound for Jakarta was given immediate permission to leave the airport with the instruction: ''Wind calm cleared for takeoff.''

Another aircraft, an air force Bravo Mentor training plane with the callsign J-406, was also given clearance to take off; its pilot was informed that the doomed Boeing was still several kilometres from its destination and on final approach.

Asked whether he was ready to make an immediate takeoff, the pilot of J-406 answered: ''Affirmative,'' and was told ''clear for line up report ready''.

The Boeing was at this point just 11km away, in clear sight of the runway and with nothing reported amiss.

GA200 was then ordered by the tower at 7.56am to confirm its final landing preparations.

''GIA200 wind calm check gear down and lock clear to land,'' was the instruction from the control tower, to which the Garuda pilots answered: ''Clear to land GIA200.''

That was the final communication between tower and flight deck; the log then shows at 7.37am and 50 seconds -- barely more than a minute later -- the single entry: GIA200 CRASH LANDING.

The log then shows a car -- most likely a rescue vehicle -- immediately requesting permission to enter the restricted runway space. Permission is given with a simple ''VCP silahkaan (please go ahead)''.

The pilot of training plane J-406 had by this time cleared the takeoff air space and had looked below him and seen the flaming wreckage. He asked the control tower: ''Sir, what is that at the end of the runway?''

The answer: ''Yes, sir, it appears (flight) 200 has crashed sir, at the end of the runway, sir.''

Weather conditions, according to meteorological data notes compiled in the control tower, were good at the time of the crash: visibility was at least 5000m despite an amount of air haze (indicated by the letters HZ on the control tower's record sheet) and there were no wind gusts recorded.

Both pilots were in good physical condition during their interviews yesterday at Yogyakarta regional police headquarters.

Doctors and the men's lawyers said they were now comfortable with the pair being questioned about the crash, one week after the disaster. They had previously been under police guard, first at a military hospital and then at an undisclosed location.

''The investigation is now under way and they are ready for it,'' lawyer Kamal Firduas.

Asked how long the inquiry would take, Yogyakarta regional police chief Anggoro Rahardjo Harry Anwar said: ''The length of time can't yet be determined ... this is not as simple as cooking fried bananas.''

LAST MOMENTS

The last contact between Garuda flight 200 (GIA 200) and the control tower at Yogyakarta airport at 7.56am local time

Tower: GIA 200 wind calm. Check gear down and lock. Clear to land

GIA 200: Clear to land GIA 200 At 7.57am and 50 seconds flight 200 crashes

At 7.58am the pilot of an overhead plane asks ground controllers 'what's at the end of the runway?'

Ground controller: 'Yes, sir, it appears 200 has crashed sir, at the end of the runway, sir'

An edited transcript of contact between the Yogyakarta airport (tower and radar controllers), Garuda flight GA-200 (GIA 200) and a two-seater airforce training plane taking off at the time of the crash (J-406). Some comments are in the Indonesian language but the transcript also reveals there were no wind gusts

The transcript

23.54* (7.54am in Yogyakarta) Radar controller: GIA 200 seven miles to the air ... to the touch down. Confirm runway in sight.

GIA 200: Affirm, GIA 200.

23.55. GIA 200: Adi tower. GIA 200 Selamat pagi (good morning)

Tower: Selamat pagi, GIA 200.

Surface wind calm continue.

Approach runway 09.

Report final traffic one bravo on line-up position.

GIA 200: Continue approach.

Check final. Copy traffic, GIA 200

Tower: J-406. Wind calm. Cleared for take-off. Wind calm.

Cleared for take-off 406

23.56 Tower: GIA 200 wind calm. Check gear down and lock clear to land

GIA 200: Clear to land GIA 200

Tower: GIA aaa J-406 contact jogja app (radar controller)

23.57.50: GIA 200 crashes

23.58 J-406; (which is now airborne): Approach 406

Radar controller: 406 jogja go head

J-406: Ada apa pak diujung runway (What's at the end of the runway?)

Radar controller: Iya pak ini 200 kelihatannya jatuh pak di ujung landasan pak (Yes, sir, it appears 200 has crashed sir, at the end of the runway, sir)

*Times are Greenwich mean time

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