Gatari chopper reported missing

Gatari chopper reported missing

BANDUNG (JP): An N-Bell 412 helicopter belonging to charter
firm PT Gatari went missing during its flight from Semarang to
Bandung on Thursday.

The helicopter was flying to Bandung to be repaired by
aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), formerly
IPTN, Mohamad Reza, who is the head of the helicopter division
at PTDI, told Radio Mara in Bandung.

According to Reza, the helicopter, which was manufactured by
IPTN, lost contact with Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung at
3 p.m.

He said he believed the helicopter was carrying three people:
the pilot, the copilot and a mechanic.

Cikalong Wetan Police chief First Insp. Syaiful Bahri said
residents of Rendeh village reported a downed helicopter in the
hills near the village.

Syaiful said the villagers made their report at about 4 p.m.,
but police were unable to locate the helicopter because of heavy
rain.

"We are not sure yet if it is the PT Gatari helicopter,"
Syaiful said, confirming that a man from PT Gatari had telephoned
him concerning the missing helicopter.

Reza said two helicopters from his company carrying rescuers
had begun the search for the missing helicopter.

The Air Force and the Indonesian Radio Organization (ORARI)
are assisting the operation, he added.

The coordinator of the Bandung regency branch of ORARI, Dadang
Sudjana, said from Rendeh village that as of 8 p.m. the rescue
team had yet to locate any signs of the helicopter.

"A heavy rain is falling here and there is a thick fog. We are
still trying to decide on the best way to search for the
helicopter in the hilly land." (25/sur)