AMBON - Maleo Air MA 105 failed to land at Pattimura International Airport in Ambon. When landing, the B-737 800 aircraft was seen swinging to the right, crashed then caught fire. Flames were clearly visible around runway 22.
That event is part of the 105th Emergency Response Exercise (PKD) organized by Angkasa Pura Airports at Pattimura International Airport.
The scenario of the exercise states that on the way to Makassar, the pilot found the main engine indicator to the right of the aircraft beeps. Therefore, he decided to return to base. However, the plane failed to land. As the result, of the 108 passengers and seven crew, 10 people died, 25 were seriously injured, 17 suffered minor injuries, and the remaining 48 people survived.
The simulation was set to resemble a real condition from the mock-up of the plane that was on fire, extinguish the fire, evacuation of victims from the accident site, handling passengers, baggage as well as handling the passengers’ family. The simulation involves at least 390 people from related agencies who took part based on the functions and responsibilities in handling aviation accidents.
"Through this PKD training, Angkasa Pura Airports wants to provide a guarantee that we as airport managers are truly prepared to deal with emergencies that can occur at any time. We do training for all aspects, including the ability of personnel, systems, procedures and the reliability of the facility. All must be integrated and well-coordinated," said Angkasa Pura Airports operation director Wendo Asrul Rose.
According to Wendo, other important point is that the exercise is also an event to strengthen coordination, communication, command, and synchronization among agencies.
"It’s because in handling emergency, it requires the support of all parties, such as the Port Health Office, SAR, AirNav, the Indonesian Military, the National Police, hospitals around the airport, the airline, ground handling, including the role of mass media," Wendo added.
This simulation is also a means to test the compatibility of the Airport Emergency Plan (AEP), Airport Security Program (ASP) document, Airport Disaster Management Plan (ADMP) document and the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) applicable at Pattimura International Airport.
Pattimura International Airport General Manager Amiruddin Florensius said PKD was a mandatory program from the Ministry of Transportation which is carried out every 2 years.
Overall, PKD contains three series of simulation activities, starting with handling aviation security exercise with bomb threats and attack to the airport. The second exercise is handling terminal building in case of fires and earthquakes. The last is aircraft accident exercise.
"Besides being trained and tested, there is also an evaluation of the results of the simulation. It is hoped that we can continue to improve the performance and quality of service, even during emergencies,” Amiruddin said.
He added that the 105th PKD was quite different from the previous PKD because for the first time at Pattimura International Airport, the simulation was held in the evening until the night.
"This is a challenge because the conditions on the ground at night definitely can limit the movement and coordination. The timing of the simulation is an answer that all employees at Pattimura International Airport will always be ready to guarantee, maintain, and minimize various potentials that can disrupt flight security and safety as well as smooth operations of the airport," Amiruddin said.
