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)