Indonesian Plane Crash, Weather Likely a Factor
Rescuers take a break near the wreckage of a Boeing 737 after it was skidded off the runway at Rendani airport in Manokwari, Papua province, Indonesia, Tuesday, April 13, 2010.(AP Photo/Abdul Muin)
A plane carrying 103 passengers overshot its designated runway, crashing around Rendani Airport in the coastal town of Manokwari, Indonesia, around 11 a.m., local time, on Tuesday.
AccuWeather.com meteorologists said rain had been falling in the area for some time leading up to the crash, so runways were likely wet and fog may have been present.
Moreover, an isolated thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rain, lightning and fog could have been a culprit in hampering the visibility of the pilot.
Thunderstorms, which often cause conditions to vary dramatically in severity over short distances, are fairly common in this part of Indonesia during April.
The Boeing 737 passenger jet operated by Merpati Nusantara Airlines crashed in the Papua province of eastern Indonesia, injuring as many as 20 people, according to officials.
Officials also report that the aircraft was attempting to land and skidded into a shallow pool of water at the end of the runway.
The impact of the crash caused the jet to break in two.
The Papua province is located on western New Guinea about 1,800 miles east of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
Two Merpati plane crashes last summer preceded the most recent crash in Manokwari.
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