In many large cities, the availability of fuel may feel like an\neveryday matter. Yet in Indonesia\u2019s border and hinterland regions,\nenergy is the product of a long struggle \u2014 penetrating extreme weather,\nnavigating mountainous terrain, and relying on small aircraft as the\nonly means of transport.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, 19 February 2026, that struggle claimed a life. Captain\nHendrick Lodewyck Adam, a 54-year-old pilot employed by PT Pelita Air\nService since July 2021, perished when his cargo aircraft crashed in the\nhills of Pa\u2019 Belaban, Pa\u2019 Betung, East Krayan District, Nunukan Regency,\nNorth Kalimantan. He had just completed a routine mission distributing\nfuel under the government\u2019s One-Price Fuel (BBM Satu Harga) programme to\nthe border community of Long Bawan.<\/p>\n
Captain Hendrick was an experienced aviator with more than 8,000\nhours of flying time. He was entrusted by Pelita Air to carry out vital\nfuel distribution missions to remote areas requiring exceptional\nnavigational skill owing to extreme geographical conditions. His\naircraft, an Air Tractor AT-802 with registration number PK-PAA \u2014 a type\nspecifically designed to reach difficult landing points in regions such\nas North Kalimantan and Papua \u2014 had been manufactured in 2013 and had\naccumulated 3,303 total flight hours. It had undergone routine 100-hour\nand 200-hour inspections on 11 February 2026 and its most recent\nmaintenance on 15 February 2026. Pelita Air confirmed the aircraft was\nin airworthy condition.<\/p>\n
On his final mission, Captain Hendrick departed Juwata Airport in\nTarakan at 10:22 WITA and landed safely at Long Bawan Airport at 11:24\nWITA. Ground staff immediately unloaded the fuel cargo, and the aircraft\ndeparted for its return flight to Tarakan in an unladen condition at\n12:10 WITA. At the time of departure, weather conditions were reported\nas light rain with visibility of approximately six kilometres. The cloud\nbase was broken at 1,400 feet, with a temperature of 23.9 degrees\nCelsius.<\/p>\n
At approximately 12:25 WITA, eyewitnesses near Yuvai Semaring Airport\nin Krayan observed the aircraft in a tilted, descending position heading\nbehind a hill at the end of the approach to runway 22. At 12:30 WITA,\nthe headquarters of PT Pelita Air Service in Jakarta received initial\nreports that the PK-PAA was suspected to have crashed not far from Long\nBawan Airport. The aircraft wreckage was located at 13:25 WITA, and\nCaptain Hendrick\u2019s body was found at the crash site at 14:33 WITA.<\/p>\n
For communities in remote, frontier and outermost regions \u2014\nclassified as \u201c3T\u201d (terdepan, terluar, tertinggal) areas \u2014 the arrival\nof small, distinctively coloured aircraft on simple airstrips represents\na lifeline. The fuel they carry powers village electricity generators,\nfuels river transportation, and sustains the logistics that are often\nthe lifeblood of local communities. Long Bawan, where Captain Hendrick\nmade his final delivery, is a border area with severely limited overland\naccess that depends almost entirely on air transport for its fuel\nsupply.<\/p>\n
The One-Price Fuel programme is a flagship government initiative\naimed at equalising fuel prices across the Indonesian archipelago,\nensuring that communities in the most remote border and hinterland areas\npay the same price for fuel as those in Java and other major population\ncentres. The programme is a realisation of the President\u2019s vision for\nachieving energy sovereignty throughout Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Pertamina Patra Niaga, which oversees fuel distribution, stated its\ncommitment to maintaining energy supply availability in One-Price Fuel\nprogramme areas. The company confirmed it was preparing a replacement\naircraft fleet to ensure fuel supply continuity in Nunukan and the\nsurrounding border regions of North Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Pelita Air Service and the National Transportation Safety\nCommittee (KNKT) dispatched a joint investigation team to Long Bawan on\n20 February 2026 to begin the process of determining the cause of the\ncrash. The KNKT confirmed that the initial phase of the investigation\nwould focus on the broadest possible data collection before conducting\nin-depth analysis. The aircraft type does not carry a black box, which\nmay complicate efforts to establish the precise sequence of events.<\/p>\n
Captain Hendrick\u2019s remains were scheduled to arrive at Soekarno-Hatta\nAirport on Friday, 20 February 2026, at 16:00 Western Indonesian Time,\nbefore being transported to a funeral home in Bogor, West Java.<\/p>\n
His death is a stark reminder of the human cost behind Indonesia\u2019s\nefforts to deliver energy equity to its most far-flung citizens \u2014 a\nmission carried out daily by pilots and logistics workers who navigate\nsome of the world\u2019s most challenging terrain to keep the promise of one\nprice for all.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-trail-of-service-in-border-skies-the-story-of-a-pilot-who-perished-after-completing-a-one-price-fuel-mission-1771692864", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }