15 die as plane crashes in Papua<\/p>\n
Nethy Dharma Somba and Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Fifteen people are dead after a police aircraft nose-dived into
\nan estuary meters in front of Papua's Sarmi Airport early on
\nTuesday morning.<\/p>\n
There were three survivors of the crash that killed four
\npolice officers and 11 civilians. All were in a critical
\ncondition in a Jayapura hospital on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
The four police officers who died in the crash are pilot Adj.
\nComr. Garuda Giwangkara Gilangkencana, co-pilot Adj. Comr. Teguh
\nBasuki, and mechanics First Brig. Supriyadi and First Chief Pvt.
\nMustaqim,<\/p>\n
The civilian fatalities were Sarmi public works agency head
\nRobert Yerisitouw, his wife, Agustina and daughter Esterlina;
\nNorce Tiutiu, the wife of the first assistant to the secretary of
\nSarmi administration, Lis Imbiri, Evi Imbiri, Yans Simbar and her
\nson Alfa; Sionawati, Anselma Aser and Lukas Hole.<\/p>\n
The survivors, identified as Supriadi, Said Jamrut and Imel
\nHelena, remained in a critical condition at the Dok II Hospital
\nin Jayapura on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
The Casa 212 aircraft, crashed about 7.15 a.m. local time just
\n500 meters before the Sarmi Airport runway.<\/p>\n
The plane took off around 45 minutes earlier from Sentani
\nAirport in Jayapura, about 300 kilometers east of the crash site.<\/p>\n
Pilot Garuda had notified the tower about an engine problem
\nwhen the plane was about 18 kilometers away from Sarmi Airport,
\nPapua Police chief Insp. Gen. Dodi Sumantyawan said.<\/p>\n
Residents who witnessed the accident saw the left propeller of
\nthe plane cutting out before the crash.<\/p>\n
However, the deputy spokesman for the National Police, Brig.
\nGen. Soenarko, said the cause of the accident remained unknown as
\na team of investigation was still working at the crash site.<\/p>\n
Soenarko said the plane was not intended for commercial use
\nnor supposed to be carrying civilians.<\/p>\n
"However, since land transportation remains a major problem in
\nPapua, such a plane is often used to help transport people,"
\nSoenarko said.<\/p>\n
Produced by the National Aircraft Industry (IPTN) in 1985, it
\nwas handed by the National Police Headquarters to the Papua
\nPolice in February last year.<\/p>\n
The plane had distributed ballot papers to remote areas for
\nlast year's national elections.<\/p>\n
Sarmi state electricity agency head Mesak Kyeuw-Kyeuw said the
\nplane often flew civilian passengers, who paid Rp 550,000 (US$61)
\neach for a one-way trip from Sarmi to Sentani.<\/p>\n
Mesak said people could buy tickets at the local police
\nstation but would often have to wait as the flight schedule was
\noften uncertain.<\/p>\n
Sometimes a passenger from Sarmi would pay as high as Rp 1.1
\nmillion a trip to Sentani if the plane had returned with empty
\nseats from Jayapura Airport.<\/p>\n
"Of course the ticket price is more expensive than usual, but
\nit is not a problem for us as long as we can get access to good
\ntransportation," Mesak said.<\/p>\n
Mesak had missed the deadly flight as he arrived late at the
\nSentani airport on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Dodi said he would take stern action if he found any police
\npersonnel had been flying the plane for commercial purposes.<\/p>\n
The crash is the second in the province in the past three
\nmonths. In December last year, a 212 Bell helicopter belonging to
\nthe Indonesian Military (TNI) crashed into the Silimo River in
\nNabire while conducting a route check prior to the visit of
\nPresident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono there on Dec. 24.<\/p>\n
Three passengers and three crew were killed in the accident.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/15-die-as-plane-crashes-in-papua-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }