Army chopper crashes in Ciamis

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)