Bail rejected for Garuda crash pilot

SMH
February 7, 2008
Indonesian authorities have rejected a bail request for the Garuda pilot arrested over the fatal crash that killed 21 people, including five Australians, in Yogyakarta last year.
But Yogyakarta Police Chief Anggoro Rahardjo Harry Anwar indicated bail may be considered in the future.
Garuda captain Marwoto Komar was arrested on Monday night, and will face charges of negligence causing injury and death and flying an aeroplane which endangered the safety of people or the plane, when he faces court, possibly within weeks.
If convicted, he faces up to seven years' imprisonment.
Komar's lawyers yesterday submitted a request to police seeking the 45-year-old's release from detention.
"We're going to keep him for the moment," Anggoro told reporters at Yogyakarta Police Headquarters, where Komar is being detained.
"The letter from the suspect's lawyers has been accepted, but bail is not granted yet because we still need him for the investigation."
Komar's lawyer Mohammad Assegaf confirmed that bail had been rejected, but said his client was holding up well after three days of questioning.
"For now, we can say that it's been rejected, but let's see what develops during the examinations," he said.
The arrest shocked Indonesia's aviation community and sparked protests outside parliament yesterday demanding his release.
Komar is believed to be the first pilot to face criminal charges over a crash in Indonesia, which has a dismal aviation safety record.
Yogyakarta police indicated co-pilot Gagam Jahman Rochman may also be questioned again in the near future.
Gagam told News Limited newspapers that both he and the pilot tried to save the flight from disaster.
"We both try, with our power, our best power, to stop the accident," he said.
The Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737, carrying 140 passengers and crew, overshot the runway on landing and burst into flames in a rice paddy field in Yogyakarta on March 7 last year.
A final report by safety regulators said the pilot was so "fixated" with landing that he ignored 15 alarms and the pleas of his copilot warning he was coming in too fast.
Five Australians travelling to Yogyakarta for a visit by then Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer were among those killed.
The Australian Embassy in Jakarta will hold a "small private commemoration" next month to mark the first anniversary of the crash.
AAP