15 die as plane crashes in Papua
Nethy Dharma Somba and Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura/Jakarta
Fifteen people are dead after a police aircraft nose-dived into an estuary meters in front of Papua's Sarmi Airport early on Tuesday morning.
There were three survivors of the crash that killed four police officers and 11 civilians. All were in a critical condition in a Jayapura hospital on Tuesday night.
The four police officers who died in the crash are pilot Adj. Comr. Garuda Giwangkara Gilangkencana, co-pilot Adj. Comr. Teguh Basuki, and mechanics First Brig. Supriyadi and First Chief Pvt. Mustaqim,
The civilian fatalities were Sarmi public works agency head Robert Yerisitouw, his wife, Agustina and daughter Esterlina; Norce Tiutiu, the wife of the first assistant to the secretary of Sarmi administration, Lis Imbiri, Evi Imbiri, Yans Simbar and her son Alfa; Sionawati, Anselma Aser and Lukas Hole.
The survivors, identified as Supriadi, Said Jamrut and Imel Helena, remained in a critical condition at the Dok II Hospital in Jayapura on Tuesday night.
The Casa 212 aircraft, crashed about 7.15 a.m. local time just 500 meters before the Sarmi Airport runway.
The plane took off around 45 minutes earlier from Sentani Airport in Jayapura, about 300 kilometers east of the crash site.
Pilot Garuda had notified the tower about an engine problem when the plane was about 18 kilometers away from Sarmi Airport, Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Dodi Sumantyawan said.
Residents who witnessed the accident saw the left propeller of the plane cutting out before the crash.
However, the deputy spokesman for the National Police, Brig. Gen. Soenarko, said the cause of the accident remained unknown as a team of investigation was still working at the crash site.
Soenarko said the plane was not intended for commercial use nor supposed to be carrying civilians.
"However, since land transportation remains a major problem in Papua, such a plane is often used to help transport people," Soenarko said.
Produced by the National Aircraft Industry (IPTN) in 1985, it was handed by the National Police Headquarters to the Papua Police in February last year.
The plane had distributed ballot papers to remote areas for last year's national elections.
Sarmi state electricity agency head Mesak Kyeuw-Kyeuw said the plane often flew civilian passengers, who paid Rp 550,000 (US$61) each for a one-way trip from Sarmi to Sentani.
Mesak said people could buy tickets at the local police station but would often have to wait as the flight schedule was often uncertain.
Sometimes a passenger from Sarmi would pay as high as Rp 1.1 million a trip to Sentani if the plane had returned with empty seats from Jayapura Airport.
"Of course the ticket price is more expensive than usual, but it is not a problem for us as long as we can get access to good transportation," Mesak said.
Mesak had missed the deadly flight as he arrived late at the Sentani airport on Tuesday.
Dodi said he would take stern action if he found any police personnel had been flying the plane for commercial purposes.
The crash is the second in the province in the past three months. In December last year, a 212 Bell helicopter belonging to the Indonesian Military (TNI) crashed into the Silimo River in Nabire while conducting a route check prior to the visit of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono there on Dec. 24.
Three passengers and three crew were killed in the accident.