Search team fails to locate missing plane

WAMENA, Irian Jaya (JP): A joint search and rescue team have failed to locate the missing Cassa plane on Tuesday, which carried senior Irian Jaya military and civilian officials, and abruptly halted the search early in the afternoon due to bad weather conditions.

Trikora Military Command Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. K. Ralahalo, who led the search in Wamena, said that the operation which started at 5:30 a.m. local time had to be stopped at 3:30 p.m. due to bad weather.

"Ten planes and helicopters flew, combing the possible route of the missing plane. But we got nothing," he said.

He said there were three command posts set up to conduct the search operation. The first post was in Timika, the second in Wamena and the third in Jayapura.

In Wamena alone 35 officers, including Air Force special troops, and the Army's elite troops Kopassus, were involved in the search operation.

A team member said that the operation might be toned down as hope for the passengers' survival diminished.

The Jakarta Post correspondent, who joined a helicopter search team, reported that rescuers saw smoke and a glare resembling light reflecting from a mirror when the helicopters flew over a barren area in the district of Osoa in the Jayawijaya regency.

The search and rescue team members, however, saw nothing when the helicopter descended to an altitude where human eyes could clearly scour the area amid thick jungle.

As of Tuesday, a total of five helicopters, two Nomad planes, a Buffalo plane, a Cassa 614, an Air Force Boeing 737 and Trigana fuel aircraft, plus search and rescue and investigation teams have been deployed to locate the missing aircraft.

Several navy battleships have also been deployed to search the coastline off Nabire and Timika.

In Jayapura, the operation was also earlier halted due to bad weather.

"We had to suspend the search at 12:30 p.m. when rains suddenly arrived. Once the sky is clear, we will resume the search operation," Irian Jaya deputy police chief Brig. Gen. Moersoeti Darnomoerhadi told the Post from Jayapura on Tuesday.

The search team will resume its operation at 6:30 a.m.

In Jakarta Chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency (SAR) Rear Adm. Setio Rahardjo, said that the missing plane used the normal route instead of a special military route.

"According to the previous plan the plane would use the normal route from Timika - Wamena - Maleo - Point Maleo - Sentani, which are all mountainous areas. It moved from the south gate to Wamena before reaching Jayapura," officer Setio said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf said on Tuesday that the plane might have taken a short cut, but refused to speculate whether the plane had crashed.

The missing 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 chief Maj. Gen. Tonny A. Rompis, head of the province Prosecutors' Office Bismar Mannu, speaker of the provincial legislative council Nataniel Kaiway, adjutant to the governor's police Sgt. Maj. Jeheskia Z. Malu and five flight crew.

The Indonesian-made Cassa disappeared during its flight from Timika to Jayapura on Monday.

According to Setio, the last time the tower had contact with the plane was when it was located in the southern region of Wamena.

"Therefore, based on calculations, we determine a tracking space of 32 nautical miles by 42 nautical miles in south Wamena, which is 078 degrees from Timika," Setio explained.

"The pilot of the missing plane was my student in the Navy and I think he had adequate flying experience in Irian Jaya," Setio, who was commander of a Cassa 614 aircraft unit in the Navy between 1987 - 1988, said.

Saleh Saaf said police also tried to contact a satellite phone carried by F.X. Sumardi. "There was a call sign, but there was no response."

He said the police were considering requesting help from Malaysian and Singaporean SAR teams.

In Bandung, Bambang Soeriawan, general manager of Aircraft Service of PT Dirgantara Indonesia (the new name for IPTN) which produced the Cassa NC-212-200, said that the 16-year-old plane was powered by two turboprop engines and able to fly at a maximum altitude of 25,000 feet. "But, normally the plane flies at an altitude of 10,000 feet, and is able to operate for between two and five hours."

Spokesman of the company, Rakhendi Triyatna said that the company had produced 107 Cassa NC-212-200. Some of them have been exported to Thailand and Guam.

Reports reveal that prior to this incident, five other Cassa aircraft of that type have crashed at various locations in the country.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Navy revealed on Tuesday that the ill-fated airplane was in good condition, and was last serviced on Dec. 15, Navy spokesman Commodore Franky Kayhatu said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Kayhatu further revealed technical data of the Navy's missing Cassa U-614, which was manufactured by then PT IPTN in 1984, and handed over to the Navy on May 12, 1984.

"The flight hours of the plane as of Jan. 4, 2001 are 3,901.9 hours, which means that it still has 71 hours left to fly," officer Kayhatu said. (team)