Five feared killed in air crash ahead of Susilo's Papua visit

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

A Navy helicopter crashed in the mountains of Nabire regency, Papua province, amid bad weather on Wednesday, and all five people on board were feared dead, police said.

The ill-fated Bell 212 chopper was making a test flight as part of preparations for a planned visit on Saturday by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to Nabire for Christmas celebrations with local residents.

Paniai Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Taufik Pribadi said the helicopter crashed in Siriwo district, some 50 kilometers southeast of the Nabire township.

The accident occurred some 30 minutes after the chopper took off from Nabire airport at around 10:25 a.m., he said.

"Based on the latest contact with the helicopter, the pilot said he had encountered bad weather. Communication was cut shortly afterwards," Taufik said.

Quoting local villagers, he said they saw a helicopter crashing into a river in the Siriwo district. An aerial search also identified the crash site, he added.

The chopper carried three crew -- pilot Capt. Novi, copilot First Lt. Putu and mechanic First Sgt. Disiono -- and two passengers identified as Novi Kogoya and Mayu.

Taufik said that it was unknown whether all the five Indonesians on board were killed instantly. However, he admitted that there were no signs of survivors.

He said rescue operations would only begin early on Thursday due to the difficult terrain, poor access and bad weather at the crash site.

"There is no place for landing there, and the river is surging," he added.

Taufik said a rescue team from the Navy and the National Rescue Agency (Basarnas) is already on standby in Nabire.

He said the crash would not cause President Susilo to cancel or postpone his planned trip to Nabire on Dec. 25. "So far, there is no plan to change the visit."

Based on the schedule, Susilo and his wife Kristiani Herawati as well as several ministers will leave Biak regency by a Tanjung Dai Fele ship for Nabire on Saturday to meet victims of a devastating earthquake that killed at least 23 people on Nov. 26.

On Sunday, the presidential entourage is slated to head to the Papua capital of Jayapura for similar Christmas celebrations at around 8 p.m. local time.

Bad weather has often been blamed for aircraft crashes in Indonesia.

Earlier on Sept. 20 this year, a Bell 206 helicopter piloted by U.S. national Neil Roesler plummeted to the ground near remote Komamil village in the Papua town of Wamena, also due to foul weather.

The mountainous landscape of Papua, the country's eastern-most province, prevents people from using land transportation and forces them to rely on air transportation to reach remote parts of the region.

Similarly, the Indonesian Military blamed bad weather in Aceh for causing a helicopter to crash on Oct. 12, in which eight soldiers were killed.

The military said the ill-fated Bell 205 chopper was among its aging aircraft, but it was fit to fly.

The Free Aceh Movement had previously claimed to have shot down the U.S.-made aircraft, which was purchased by the Army in 1974.