Ever since he decided to be a pilot in the mid-1980s, Mahlup Gozali realized that disaster was always a distinct possibility. In fact, this father of five recently 'retired' his flight instructor's license. Apart from trying to reduce his work time, he has been worried about the frequency of accidents happening to trainers and students.
"It's quite different flying with an unqualified pilot," he said.
And a disaster did happen despite the fact that he flew a brand new airplane alongside a qualified copilot.
Three weeks ago, at around 3pm local time, the Lion Air flight JT 904 he piloted crash-landed into the sea, just short of the runway at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali. Gozali was fortunate. All the passengers and the crew survived the impact.
Even so, Gozali admits he feels no relief. As captain of the ill-fated flight, he is now under the public spotlight, many harboring suspicions that the accident was caused by his negligence. The US$80 billion Boeing 737-800 NG after all, had only been in operation for a month. The accident is still being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT).
Last week, Tempo reporter Agoeng Wijaya met Gozali for an interview. Excerpts:
So, how did the crash happen?
To my recollection, at that time, everything was going normally. It just happened.
Is it true that it was copilot Chirag Kalra who first flew the plane from Bandung to Denpasar?
Correct. It was the copilot who flew the plane. Actually this is not a problem. We are both qualified pilots, with differing ranks. As captain, I am the pilot in command during the flight. But when it comes to flying, our tasks can be shared between us. One pilot flies the plane, the other monitors and assists during the flight. These tasks can be carried out by both of us, by taking turns.
Is it true that before the crash you took over for the landing?
In accordance with standard operation procedures of our company, if the runway is rainy, wet with the wind blowing, or other abnormal conditions, the captain must take over. We could see the highway from about 1,000 feet up. But Ngurah Rai Airport on the right side looked overcast. We couldn't tell whether it was raining or not under those skies. But just to make sure, even though it was cutting it close, I took over the plane to bring it down.
That means, the changeover took place when the plane was still at a height of 1,000 feet, long before the crash?
Yes, because we were worried about the rain below. So we followed the SOP.
What did you plan to do then?
Proceed normally. Even from a height of 3,000 feet, all landing instruments were set. Even the wheels were deployed.
What was the plane's speed at that time?
About 140 knots. It was normal.
How was the visibility from the cockpit?
At that time, I could already see the runway. Visibility was about 8 kilometers. I have often landed planes in visibility of about 1,500 meters. However bad the weather conditions, for example heavy rainfall, landing can still be done so long as there is minimum required visibility. If I'm not wrong, the minimum visibility at Ngurah Rai is about 800 meters.
Had it started to rain at the time?
Maybe it had begun to drizzle, but maybe there was heavy rainfall on the right side of the runway, where the overcast was darkest. But the situation at the time was normal.
Is it true that Runway 09, the one you headed for, is not equipped with facilities to guide landings, so that you had to do it manually?
The runway at Ngurah Rai Airport has two runways. On the western side is Runway 09 and on the eastern side is Runway 27. The landing system on the eastern side is more precise because it uses the Instrument Landing System (ILS). Meanwhile, planes coming in from the west, for example from Surabaya, land on Runway 09, where landing navigation is guided by the VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range) technology, which is not quite as precise.
What do you mean?
The ILS is very precise when it guides planes on landing. Even from a height of 300 feet, the pilot can still look at the inside of a cockpit when landing. Meanwhile when using the VOR, we are only allowed to look inside the cockpit from a height of 500 meters. Less than that, we are unable to see the runway, we are not allowed to land because the equipment is not precise.
Is that a condition found only at Ngurah Rai?
Usually, all airports in Indonesia have only one side equipped with the ILS, except for Soekarno-Hatta airport. All four sides of the two runways at Cengkareng are equipped with ILS.
From what height did you decide to go around?
At about 300 feet. At that height, visibility was still murky. Just before that moment, it was very bright above us, which is why I decided to take the plane up.
Is it possible that due to the height and the low altitude, the plane could not ascend again?
Planes can go around even at a low of 50 feet, let alone from a height of 300 meters. There was no stalling to prevent it. If the plane had crashed because of the stall, the crash would have been bloodier.
An official from the KNKT figured that one cause of the crash was that the plane was flying too low and that it undershot the runway.
I don't know. At that point, I decided to push the plane to climb, but instead, we found ourselves on the water. If we had hit the rim of the runway, we would have been finished.
Some people think you lost concentration because of fatigue. Is this true?
No. One day before the crash, at 9am, I arrived in Jakarta from Palu. I slept all day at a hotel. I only went out the following afternoon to eat at the hotel restaurant. I went back to my room to get ready for my flight to Bandung the next day, and from there, to Denpasar, the final destination.
Do you feel any guilt at all over this incident?
I am aware this was a disaster, which means there must have been a mistake. Where was my mistake? Let us wait for the results of the KNKT investigation. I am just so relieved that there was no fatality, but that doesn't mean I am happy over the incident.
I understand you went through a number of thanksgiving rituals after the crash.
Three times. The first one was with children from an orphanage, the second time with my extended family and the recent one, with the group my wife and I share Qur'an reading sessions with. I truly believe God protected me during the accident. Looking at the wreckage of the plane, people may find it hard to believe I actually survived the crash.
Are you not traumatized by it?
No. The accident happened on a Saturday afternoon. The next day, I was back home in Jakarta and by Monday I was driving my car to visit my in-laws. There is nothing wrong with my mental capacity.
You don't have nightmares about it?
Not really. I'm not underplaying the event, it's just that I'm used to the probability of disasters.
Perhaps because there were no fatalities
Yes. If there had been fatalities, maybe my mind would have been affected.
After the investigation, will you be able to fly again?
According to procedure, I must go into training again, including a flying simulation session and so forth. So, it's like starting from zero again.
Is it true you will be getting an award because no lives were lost?
I haven't heard about that.
He also spoke of what went through his mind when the plane touched water, and how his bosses and colleagues at Lion Air reacted to the crash.
The complete interview can be found in this week's edition of Tempo magazine. (*)
