Navy plane missing in Irian Jaya
Navy plane missing in Irian Jaya
JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): A Navy Cassa airplane carrying
top Irianese military and civilian officials, including the
provincial police chief and Trikora Military commander, was
reported missing on a flight from Timika to the capital of
Jayapura on Monday.
The plane, piloted by Maj. Sutopo Waluyo and co-pilot First
Lt. Dedi Haryanto, carried Irian Jaya Police chief Insp. Gen.
F.X. Sumardi, Trikora Military commander Maj. Gen. Tonny A.
Rompis, head of Irian Jaya Prosecutors' Office Bismar Mannu,
speaker of the provincial legislative council Nataniel Kaiway and
adjutant to the governor police Sgt. Maj. Jeheskia Z. Malu as
well as five flight crew.
Trikora Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. Siregar confirmed
at 17:45 local time on Monday that the 16-seat plane number O-614
should have landed at Sentani Airport in Jayapura at 12:00 p.m.
local time, as it took off from Timika at about 10:30 a.m.
The VIP group, led by Governor JP Salossa was taken by the
plane to Enarotali, the capital of Paniai regency, to attend the
inauguration of the regency legislative council.
The group also visited the Nabire district on Friday to attend
a ceremony dedicating the Council building in Paniai regency. On
Saturday, the officials attended the dedication of Timika's new
council building.
The governor was due at an official meeting in Jakarta and
left before the Cassa plane departed with the eleven people from
Timika on Monday morning.
Head of Irian Jaya's Police Operations and Control Chief.
Comr. Kusnadi expressed hope that the plane would be able to
reach the nearby airbase for emergency landing.
"We don't know the status of the plane since the last contact
with the pilot was seven minutes after the plane took off from
Timika at 10:27 a.m," officer Kusnadi told The Jakarta Post by
phone from Jayapura.
"Seven minutes flying from Timika would reach the area around
Wamena regency or near the border of Timika regency," he said,
adding that it was customary for flights to lose signal in
mountainous areas in Irian Jaya.
"But they should have contacted us hours ago. They should have
arrived at noon," the officer said.
Kusnadi further described the weather conditions on Monday
afternoon as "unfriendly with thick cloud cover".
"If they had to make an emergency landing, there are several
options such as a small airbase in Tiom or Agimuga which belong
to missionaries," Kusnadi said.
A total of two helicopters belonging to the Army and a Cessna
airplane belonging to missionaries were deployed to search for
the missing plane on Monday.
"Actually the police chief brought with him a satellite
cellular phone. We tried calling but the line was dead. He should
have contacted us by now," Kusnadi said.
The search was called off late Monday afternoon as the weather
was quite severe.
"Tomorrow we have two additional helicopters from Freeport and
Pertamina in Sorong plus civilian airplanes in the search team,"
the officer added.
The search team will leave from Sentani airport in Jayapura at
05:30 a.m Tuesday, taking a one-hour flight to Wamena, some 290
kilometers southwest of the capital.
"We will coordinate our movements from Wamena and start
sweeping the possible route of the missing plane from there,"
Kusnadi added.
In Jakarta, National Police Spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf
said that the last contact with the CASA plane was made by the
Biak Tower at 10:34 a.m.,"
"At the time the last contact was made, the plane must have
been in the Memberamo area of Dabra district. They were supposed
to arrive in the capital of Jayapura at 12:10 p.m."
Muljohardjo, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, said
Bismar Mannu was appointed head of Irian Jaya Prosecutors' Office
only last December. He was once the director of corruption cases
at the Attorney General's Office.
Muljohardjo said his office had tried to contact Mannu's
family, who still reside in Pulomas area, North Jakarta, but
there was no reply. (34/35/02/edt/ylt/bby/sur)