=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2007/02/21/internatio= nal/i205759S39.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, February 21, 2007 (AP) Indonesia Grounds Boeing 737-300s (02-21) 20:57 PST JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- All seven Boeing 737-300 airplanes operated by Indonesian budget airline Adam Air have been grounded by the government after a plane buckled during a hard landing, forcing a temporary airport closure, officials said Thursday. Aviation authorities will examine all 737-300s owned by Adam Skyconnections Airlines — more than a third of its entire fleet — to determine whether they are air-worthy, said Bambang Istiono, an official at the Transport Ministry. "We are going to check them for the sake of the safety of the country," Istiono said. The hard landing in stormy weather at the country's second-largest city, Surabaya, cracked the fuselage and severely bent the aircraft. There were no serious injuries, but passengers said the plane came down with such force that baggage compartments burst open, sending luggage flying through the cabin. The incident came less than two months after an Adam Air flight plunged into the sea on New Year's Day, killing all 102 people aboard. The cause of the crash has not been determined. Adam Air has had a series of incidents since it was founded in 2003. More than a dozen pilots have quit over safety concerns. The hard landing led some lawmakers to call for a complete halt of Adam Air operations. "It will be good for the company and the government ... until the flight authorities can determine if Adam Air is still worthy as national aircraft company," said Parliament member Abdul Hakim. -----------------------------= ----------------------------------------- Copyright 2007 AP