Army chopper crashes in Ciamis
JAKARTA (JP): A military helicopter carrying five members of the presidential security guard and five Air Force Squadron 17 personnel crashed into a paddy field on Saturday morning in the Kertasari subdistrict in Ciamis, West Java.
There were no fatalities in the crash.
All people on board the Super Puma helicopter were rushed to Ciamis General Hospital, before being transferred to Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Jakarta later in the day, according to Air Force spokesman First Marshall Bahrum Rasir.
The officers on board were conducting a standard landing procedure rehearsal and area survey to prepare for President B.J. Habibie's visit to Ciamis, scheduled for May 1, Bahrum told The Jakarta Post by telephone.
Details of the president's planned visit were not available.
The helicopter had flown from Husein Sastranegara airport in Bandung, the capital of West Java, to Ciamis, a small town about 121 kilometers away.
"About 300 meters before the landing area in Galuh football stadium in Ciamis at about 9:30 a.m., the helicopter lost its balance and was forced to make an emergency landing," Bahrum said.
He identified the five presidential security guards as Brig. Gen. Aritonang, Brig. Gen. Soeryanto, Lt. Col. Indra, Maj. Supit and Budiono.
"While members of the Air Force 17 Squadron are pilot Maj. Wieko and copilot Capt. Hikmat, First Sgt. Agus, Chief Sgt. Suwandi and Chief Sgt. Maryoto," he said.
Pilot Wieko and copilot Hikmat reportedly suffered back injuries while Maryoto was badly injured in his jaw, Bahrum said.
"But the rest only experienced shock and minor injuries."
The officers were part of a group surveying the area for the presidential visit. Their flight route included Halim Perdanakusuma airbase in Jakarta, Husein Sastranegara airport in Bandung, Ciamis, Tasikmalaya and back to Husein Sastranegara and Halim Perdanakusuma, Bahrum said.
"Eyewitnesses said the helicopter crashed from an altitude of about 20 meters after losing its balance," he said.
He quoted eyewitnesses as saying the helicopter had been flying low for a few minutes in order to make the emergency landing before it hit the ground.
The helicopter's tail broke off and a section crashed into the mud, he said.
"The helicopter has yet to be lifted from the paddy field as a special team is investigating the cause of the accident," he said.
"We have yet to find out whether it was caused by mechanical or engine trouble. We don't want to speculate until further results come out," he said, adding the crash sight was temporarily closed to the public.
The paddy field is apparently fairly central in Ciamis, and is surrounded by the two main avenues of Jl. Raya Koperasi and Jl. Raden Adipati Sutadinata. It is also close to the bus terminal and village market.
On June 4, 1998, 12 officers were killed when a helicopter crashed near Liaruca village in East Timor. Casualties included the Udayana Regional Military Commander, Maj. Gen. Yudomo Sastrosuhardjo, and Col. Salamat Sidabutar, the chief of the Wira Dharma Military Command in the province. (edt)