Garuda hero's premonition: 'I knew the plane was going to crash'

Garuda hero’s premonition: ‘I knew the plane was going to crash’

When RAAF Leading Aircraftsman Kyle Quinlan was handed his boarding ticket for Garuda flight GA-200 he had an eerie premonition the plane would never land safely. But rather than act on his hunch and “look foolish”, 23-year-old Kyle buckled into aisle seat 10D and prepared for take-off.

An hour later, the plane, carrying 133 passengers and seven crew, burst into flames after landing at the airport on the island of Java.

“I helped smash the exit door, which was on fire,” says Kyle. “Everyone was scrambling over smashed seats trying to get out. So many people were getting crushed in the stampede, so I held people back enough to get the exit free. Once it was moving smoothly I jumped onto the burning wing tip, before leaping into the rice paddy.

“I saw my boss on the ground. He was bleeding, his shoulder was badly dislocated, and he couldn’t see. I carried him about 80 metres to safety then went back to carry people away from the plane…”

To read the full story, see this week’s issue of Woman’s Day (on sale March 19).