A Disappearance at 35,000 Feet
THE Adam Air Boeing 737-400 on the Surabaya-Manado route disappeared somewhere over Sulawesi. Critics put the blame on competing low-cost airfares compromising passenger safety. Ever since 2001 when the budget airline industry took off in Indonesia, the number of air travellers shot up by 130 percent and the number of flights by 26 percent. From 2001-2005 there have been 29 accidents involving national carriers. There were 26 accidents during the previous five-year period. The difference in the number of accidents may not be highly significant, but there is much to be gained from a strict monitoring on the long-term impact of the budget-airline industry.
January 9, 2007
The plane has been hit by crosswinds from the starboard side.
THAT was the last report heard from Refri Agustian Widodo, the pilot of the Adam Air Boeing 737-400 flying on the Surabaya-Manado route, as he called in from a height of 35,000 feet. At that time, the planecarrying 85 adult passengers, seven children, and four infantswas probably somewhere over Makassar.
Turbulent winds hit the plane at 74 knots or about 137 kilometers per hour. This is
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