proves my point, what sort of moron would request flying permission for 6000 feet when near a 7000 foot mountain? What air traffic controller would say ok?
When I got picked up at the Perth, Australia airport, my buddy told me about a couple of years ago when a Garuda 747 tried to land on Route 1 outside the airport......that's the highway leading in to the airport, not a runway.
Now, tell me, where you going to land a plane without worrying about a volcano?
NOTE: Java has 44 major volcanoes, 20 of which have been active in modern times. Imagine Alabama or Mississippi with 44 major volcanic peaks. Fly a plane through there in your mind's eye. In the dark. When it's rainy.
I forget what the MEA (minimum enroute altitude) is supposed to be over obstructions on the ground.
“what sort of moron would request flying permission for 6000 feet when near a 7000 foot mountain? What air traffic controller would say ok?”
He asked permission but it was not actually ever granted, the Russians fell of radar and lost radio contact seconds after making the request.