Two die in helicopter crash

Two die in helicopter crash

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): A helicopter crashed into a rubber
plantation near the village of Hapesong, 600 kilometers south of
here, Sunday morning. The two people aboard were killed.

Rescue workers identified the victims as pilot Conrad C.
Ferguson, a 34-year-old Australian, and Jospin Simbolon, 28, a
computer technician who lived in Serpong, Tangerang regency, West
Java.

It was the first aircraft accident of the year. More than 380
people died in five aircraft crashes, including that of a
helicopter, last year.

South Tapanuli military commander Lt. Col. Adi Untara told The
Jakarta Post yesterday that the Air-B chopper, registration
number 3515, was en route to Padang Sidempuan for a survey of a
gold deposit for Jakarta-based mining company PT Danau Toba
Mining.

He said Ferguson and Jospin, both employees of the mining
company, had almost completed their 400-kilometer journey.

Adi said the aging helicopter, chartered from PT Intan Angkasa
Service, was hovering at a low altitude over the plantation when
a strong gust of wind struck it.

"The chopper went out of control and hit high-voltage electric
pylons before it smashed into the rubber plantation," Adi aid,
adding that the helicopter crashed after its tail boom got caught
in the pylons.

He said South Tapanuli regency blacked out for a few hours
after the accident.

"No residents were killed in the crash," Adi said.

Dozens of police, troops and rescue workers were deployed to
the scene to retrieve the bodies.

The remains were taken to a nearby community health center and
then sent to Medan's Pirngadi Hospital for post-mortems.

A local police officer, Second Lt. T. Pasaribu, estimated the
financial loss caused by the crash at around US$3.5 million.

Police and a team of investigators from the transportation
company have started investigating the accident. (21/amd)