Police on Tuesday questioned two pilots and a flight attendant of a jetliner that overshot a runway in central Indonesia last week and then burst into flames, killing 21 people, a lawyer said.
The three were questioned for nearly nine hours at police headquarters in Yogyakarta, said Kamal Firdaus, one of their lawyers. They are still being questioned as witnesses, Firdaus said, refusing to provide more details. Questioning was to resume Wednesday.
A police officer told state news agency Antara that the force has been tasked with investigating whether human error was a factor in the crash at Yogyakarta airport on Java island, the country's fourth major plane accident since 2005.
Investigators from National Commission for Transportation Safety are also probing the accident.
They have not speculated on the cause of the accident, saying they must first interpret data from the jet's flight recorders, or black boxes. One pilot has reportedly said the plane was hit by wind shear as it approached the runway.
Wind shear denotes sudden changes in wind direction which can destabilize aircraft, especially as they take off or land.
On Monday, a government team tasked with investigating the safety of Indonesia's skies said the country did not have enough quality personnel or technology to match the needs of its booming aviation sector.
"The level of safety is very low," team head Oetarjo Diran said after meeting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, pointing to the need for more inspectors, improved technology and greater awareness about safety by officials at all levels.
Dozens of airlines emerged after Indonesia deregulated its aviation industry in 2001, making air travel affordable for the first time for many across the sprawling island nation, and luring passengers away from ferries and trains.
"We found weaknesses in the regulatory aspects, in the attitudes, quality and number of personnel and in the lack of up-to-date technology due to shortages of funds," said Diran, spokesman for a national transportation team set up to evaluate safety.
The team is scheduled to release recommendations on how to limit accidents next week.
