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Jetliner skids off runway
10/03/2008 13:52 - (SA)
Jakarta, Indonesia - An Adam Air jetliner skidded off a runway while trying to land in heavy rain on Monday, injuring five people and severely damaging the plane, officials said.
The Boeing 737-400 was carrying 170 passengers, including a baby, and six crew from the capital of Jakarta to the northern island of Batam, said Pantun Banjarnahor, chief of operations at Hang Nadim Airport.
Five people were hospitalised with head and neck injuries, he said.
The plane's right wing, hydraulic system and rear landing gear were damaged when it slid 75m past the runway, Pantun said.
Third airline incident in a year
Indonesia's airlines have come under scrutiny after a series of accidents in 2007 killed more than 120 people.
Monday's accident was the third in just over a year involving Adam Air.
The EU is currently reviewing a ban on Indonesian flights imposed last year.
It was not immediately clear what went wrong on Monday.
Danke Drajat, an Adam Air spokesperson, said the airplane was reported to be in "good condition" after an inspection in December and blamed poor weather for the latest incident.
But Pantun said the visibility had been good enough for the aircraft to land safely.
The airport was closed for more than two hours, causing an unknown number of flight cancellations.
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