Search team fails to locate missing plane

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)