Washington, DC. - The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a team of investigators to Medan, Indonesia to assist in the accident of a Mandala Airlines Boeing 737 on Monday, September 5, 2005.

The three-member team is headed by senior NTSB investigator William English, the U.S. Accredited Representative named in accordance with procedures of the International Civil Aviation Organization. He is joined by two NTSB specialists with expertise in airplane structures and aircraft engines, an investigator from the Federal Aviation Administration and investigators from the aircraft manufacturer.

This is the sixth time the NTSB has sent investigators to assist in foreign accident investigations of transport airplanes in 2005. In addition, the Board sent teams on three occasions to participate in the investigations of helicopter accidents including the crash in Sudan that claimed the life of the First Vice President.