Search continues for missing helicopter
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)