In the mid-90s, Garuda Indonesian Airlines (GA/GIA) used to fly to HNL from CGK as a re-fueling stop on its way to LAX, using MD-11s. The one seen above, is seen taxiing on Taxiway RT to Runway 26L. I don't remember which destination it was flying to, nor its flight number.
One of GA's MD-11s was involved in a tail-strike while landing on Runway 4R, back in 1997. Late one evening, I was at home listening to my scanner, while having a cigarette on my lanai, I watched flights make their over-water approach for 4R. A GA flight was cleared to land, and made a normal final. However, the pilot requested to go around, and immediately throttled up to gain altitude. The MD-11 made a wide right turn that overflew my building before heading back out over the ocean for another try at landing. The pilot reported to the controller after the second landing, that there was a tail-strike on the first attempt. That MD-11 was parked on the south ramp, next to the CO hangar, for almost three weeks while technicians and mechanincs from McDonnell-Douglas inspected the bird. Scaffolding was erected around the rear section of the fuselage, and tarp was placed over the damaged section. The wounded bird was eventually ferried to LGB for repairs.
The inbound flight to HNL was GA800 and was routed CGK-DPS-HNL-LAX. The outbound from LAX was GA801 LAX-HNL-DPS-CGK. Service started with a DC10-30 on a routing CGK-DPS-BIK-HNL-LAX and was upgraded to a B747 Combi from 1991-1993.
ReplyDeleteInitial GA service was a joint venture with CO that had a DC10 painted CO on one side and GA on the other and was operated as CGK-MNL as a GA flight, then MNL-GUM-HNL-LAX as a CO flight. As far as the tail strike, I believe the aircraft was fully repaired at HNL.
I was the cargo manager for GA at LAX and remember sending a bunch of equipment to HNL but as far as I recall, the plane was not returned to LGB