Banjarmasin - As many as 96 people died, 18 people sustained severe injuries and 6 people with minor injuries from the airplane crash of Banua Air Boeing 737-900 in Banjarmasin (25/06). The airplane failed to take off due to engine trouble and plunged at the end of the runaway of Syamsuddin Noor Airport at 09.45 Indonesia Central Time. Promptly, the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) officer sounded the crash bell and contacted the watch room officers as well as the airport fire fighting and rescue team (AFFR) to head for the crash site. The rescue team cleared the evacuation path to evacuate and protect passengers from the fire flames.
The SAR team from Banjarmasin, the Fire Fighter Brigade (BPK) of Banjar Baru City, the Air Force personnel at Syamsuddin Noor airport, and the Sub-District Police Officers of Banjar Baru- directly helped to evacuate the victims. These victims then were examined and identified by the doctors from the Port Health Office of Syamsuddin Noor Airport to be further treated.
Meanwhile at the crash site, the AFFR team made sure that the fire had been extinguished. The SAR Team then ensured that all of the victims have been evacuated. The Aviation Security (AvSec) Unit of Syamsuddin Noor Airport along with the Air Force personnel in Syamsuddin Noor Airport as well as the Sub- District Police officers secured the crash site by sealing it with a police line and guarding it until the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) Team arrived to further investigate this accident.
Meanwhile, a fire broke out in one of the departure terminals due to a short circuit. One airline officer fell unconscious because of inhaling smoke and was evacuated to the nearest hospital. The airline system service was disrupted - as the system went down due to the fire- which caused a passenger to miss his flight. The disappointed passenger made a scene in front of the check in counter. In the meantime, a customer service officer received a bomb threat from an unknown person.
These scenes were part of the drill for the Airport Emergency Plan (PKD) in Syamsuddin Noor Banjarmasin Airport. The recorded time from this drill was less than 3 minutes, which is in compliance with the standard time as set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This drill involved 350 personnel from the Relief Flight Accident and Fire (PKP-PK) Team, Aviation Security (AvSec), Fire Extinguisher of Banjar Baru, National Search and Rescue Agency, Air Force of Syamsuddin Noor Airport, District Police Officers of Banjar Baru, Main Regiment Military Area Command (RINDAM), Port Health Office, Communication and Information Office of Banjar Baru, Air Force Hospitals, and many more.
In this occasion, the Operation Director of PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero), Yushan Sayuti, explained that this drill is routinely held at all airports and in at least five other airports each year. "We expect that all of the management, including the airport service users, airlines, concessioners, and others, can make a contribution in case of an emergency situation at any time." Yushan added, this drill was also aimed to ensure the competence of the personnel responsible for the airport emergency procedure, since this airport in 2013 has served 3.88 million passengers and 32 thousand flights.
The basis for this drill is incorporated in the Airport Security Program (ASP) and Airport Emergency Plan (AEP) documents that are used as a reference in the case of security threats and security problems as well as in responding to emergency. It is stipulated that if there is a threat or a security issue in a civil airport, then the responsibility will be handled by the airport General Manager but if the incident was in a civil enclave (military base airport used for civilian airport) then the Indonesian Air Force will be responsible for handling the situation.
This PKD activity was a drill of the 77th Dirgantara Raharja by PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero). The aim was to evaluate the organization’s effectiveness in implementing the Emergency Plan at the Syamsuddin Noor Airport. Furthermore, this activity was also to test the function of the command line, communications, and inter-unit coordination as well as the related institutions based on the PKD procedure as well as to enhance the skills of the personnel. [Diani Sekaring Sejati]
