Indonesia: Pilot denies deliberately crashing airliner

A pilot pleaded not guilty today to charges he deliberately crash-landed a passenger jet killing 21 people.

Captain Marwoto Komar, who faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, was flying a Garuda Boeing 737 that overshot the runway at Yogyakarta airport in March last year then burst into flames.

A government investigation last year found Komar at fault, saying he approached the runway at almost double the normal landing speed and ignored his co-pilot’s pleas and warning signs from the plane’s monitors to abandon the landing.

Prosecutors have accused him of deliberately crashing the plane and of negligence.

He is believed to be the first pilot to face criminal charges in Indonesia, which has had a string of fatal aviation accidents in recent years.

“This was in no way intentional,” Komar told court, adding that all physical and psychological tests taken after the accident showed he was in good condition to fly.

“Why would I do anything to destroy my 22-year career?” he asked tearfully. “As the backbone of the family, I’ve destroyed the hopes of my wife and our two children.”