Search continues for missing helicopter
PURWAKARTA, West Java (JP): The fate of three crew members of a N-Bell 412 helicopter which went missing on a flight from Semarang to Bandung remained unclear on Friday, with rescue workers stepping up the search in a 30-kilometer radius, from Rendeh Cikalong Wetan village in Bandung regency to the mountainous Burangrang area.
The control tower lost contact with the helicopter, piloted by Capt. Bobby and copilot Sucahyo Wahyu, at about 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, Search and Rescue (SAR) Agency official Hadi Tugiman said.
A mechanic, Hendri Jatmiko, was also on board. The helicopter was scheduled to arrive in Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung at 2:55 p.m. on Thursday.
The N-Bell 412 helicopter belonged to the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations, not to charter firm PT Gatari as earlier reported. The ministry bought the helicopter in December last year.
"Usually if a helicopter crashes, it appears to be swallowed up by the forest as the pressure produced by the rotor will separate tree branches, and after the crash the branches will return to their initial position," officer Hadi said.
He assumed that the helicopter had no automatic location transmitter and said it would therefore be difficult for the SAR team to locate it.
The helicopter was produced by aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI), formerly IPTN, public relations manager of PT DI Rakhendi said in Bandung on Friday.
"The helicopter was in good condition when it left Kalijati Airport in Subang (West Java) after loading fuel," he said.
Some 200 personnel from SAR, the Air Force, the police, IPTN, Wanadri nature enthusiasts as well as locals were deployed to locate the copper.
The search was halted at 4 p.m. on Friday due to thick fog in the area and will resume on Saturday.
"We received information from locals in Kampung Gunung Bakti in Cihanjawar village of Purwakarta that they saw a helicopter flying around their village before it disappeared," said Bandung Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bagus Kurniawan.
Locals of Kampung Gunung Bakti said two planes had crashed in the area before.
"The first was in 1973, and the second was in 1986 when a Donier plane piloted by Rear Marshall Ramli Sumardi crashed. Rescuers only managed to locate the plane wreckage a week later in Lebak Leunca. The officer's body was found with the help of a local psychic," said 42-year-old local Udung.
"The one-rotor helicopter was one of 24 similar helicopter produced by PT DI. Each unit is worth some US$4.5 million."
"This type of helicopter has been used by the military as well as giant companies such as PT Freeport, Airfast and Gatari," Rakhendi said. (25/edt)