Overload may have caused plane crash: Victim

Overload may have caused plane crash: Victim

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua

Tina Telenggen, one of 15 people injured when a Twin Otter plane
crashed into a hill moments after takeoff in Mulia on March 27,
died on Friday, bringing the death toll to five.

Tina, who suffered from severe head and spinal injuries, died
in the intensive care unit at Dok II General Hospital in Mulia.

Dr. Markus L. Siganna regretted that his medical team could
not save Tina because of the seriousness of her injuries, and
sent her and the other injured victims to the hospital in the
city.

"We couldn't do much to help her," he said.

Markus said that of the 15 injured in the crash, four were
listed in critical condition and put in intensive care, while two
others were going to be sent to Surabaya and Jakarta for further
medical treatment.

"The family of Yoseph Matutina will take him to Surabaya for
spinal surgery while Septiadi, the copilot, will be taken to MMC
Hospital in Jakarta," he said.

The other seriously injured victim will stay in the hospital's
intensive care unit.

"We are doing our best to save the three people listed in
critical condition. But they have the right to get better medical
care at other hospitals," he said.

Four people were killed instantly when the aircraft belonging
to the Puncak Jaya regency administration crashed into the side
of a hill three minutes after taking off from the airport in
Mulia on March 27.

Two bodies were buried in Mulia while the other two victims,
identified as Suparno and Agus Djoko, were taken to Jakarta for
burial there.

The plane, piloted by Emal Erwandani, was bound for Wamena.

While there has been no official explanation on the cause of
the crash, two experts from the National Air Transportation
Safety Association are investigating the incident.

"We cannot say what the cause of the crash was yet, as we're
waiting for the results of their investigation," the chief of the
local transportation office, Soleman Wairyo, told The Jakarta
Post on Saturday.

Yoseph Matutina told the Post that the crash likely had a lot
to do with the aircraft being overloaded.

"Only minutes after taking off, the airplane leaned to the
left and when the pilot tried to right the plane, it crashed into
the hill. The plane was carrying 19 passengers, including its
crew, and a lot of cargo," he said.

He said he saw the rear of the plane hit the hill first.

There have been dozens of plane crashes in the province as air
travel is the main form of public transportation in this swampy,
mountainous, densely populated territory.

Under special autonomy, the province is developing a network
of roads to connect the provincial capital with remote towns in
the large province.