Five Australians feared dead after crash

...and also some Indonesians, it appears.

Australian survivors of an Indonesian airliner crash have said the plane was travelling too fast when it approached the runway at Yogyakarta airport.

This is what everyone seems to be saying, but let's remember that none on the witnesses were on the flight deck, and the speed of an object through the air is very difficult to judge, so this may or may not be accurate. I have also read a statement that the aircraft landed long, but going by the hysterical comments being made at the moment, that may not turn out to be true either. It may turn out to be 100% accurate - I'm just saying that even the qualified observers, such as an Indonesian Air Force Marshal, weren't in a position to make precise observations. All in all, though, if an aircraft runs out of runway, it's a pretty safe bet to say it was going too fast at some stage, even if that stage was the departure end of the runway.

Indonesia is reckoned to be the 12th most corrupt nation on earth, and the safety of an airline and the qualifications of aviation some professionals is often determined by the size of the bribe to the relevant departmental official. Which is clearly now working out not so good. The 737 is one of the most popular and safe airliners around the world - Indonesian airlines have lost five in three months.

"And then there is one who we understand, we haven't caught up with him yet, but we understand he just walked away from the plane and he's in a hotel in Yogyakarta."

Sounds like a film I once saw.

Update - this bloke has turned up.

Out of a jet crash and into a cab

My kinda guy. Way to get back on that horse.