A pilot and passenger were killed when their plane overshot and burst into flames at Okbibab airstrip, Pegunungan Bintang regency in Papua, on Saturday at 7:40 a.m.
The PAC P-750 XSTOL aircraft, registration PK-RCD, operated by Association Mission Aviation (AMA), was flying from Sentani Airport in Jayapura to Okbibab and was carrying four passengers.
Upon landing the plane skidded for up to 1 kilometer and plunged into a ravine on the left side of the runway before bursting into flames.
The pilot was identified as Arnold Burung, 40, and the passenger Radi, 59.
“Three passengers survived the crash. Arnold Burung, 40, died at the scene,” Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Wachyono told The Jakarta Post.
An evacuation team from AMA was immediately dispatched to Okbibab to evacuate the survivors and rushed them to the Dian Harapan Hospital in Jayapura and Arnold’s remains were airlifted to Sentani Airport. Radi, 59, died at the Dian Harapan Hospital.
“Pak Radi died at 2:30 p.m. local time from internal injuries and a fracture to his back shoulder in the crash,” said Dr. Nina when reached by the Post.
The survivors were still undergoing medical treatment at the hospital. Jackson, 23, sustained burn injuries to up to 70 percent of his body. Theodorus, 23, suffered head injuries and Ramli, 30, broke his shoulder bone.
The Post has recorded three other fatal air crashes taking place in Papua since September this year, killing six people in total. On Sept. 9, a Susi Air plane crashed in Pasema Yahukimo, the pilot, Dave Cootes, from Australia, and co-pilot Thomas Munk, from Slovakia, died in the crash. On Sept. 22, a Jayasi aircraft crashed in Pass Valley in Yalimo regency, killing three people, including its pilot Paul Westlund.
On Sept. 22, another Susi Air plane crashed, killing its pilot Albert Citores Gallego, of Spain.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Timika, the Associated Press reports that gunmen attacked a helicopter carrying 29 workers and family members from Freeport-McMoRan’s trouble-plagued gold and copper mine in eastern Indonesian on Saturday, wounding one person, according to officials.
In the incident a Mil Mi-8/17 helicopter, registration ER-MHL, owned by Nyaman Air and carrying 26 passengers, was shot at by unidentified gunmen. The heavy-lift helicopter was piloted by Capt. Igor Knyazev and co-pilot Vladimir.
“The incident occurred about two minutes after the chopper took off from a helipad in Tembagapura. It was hovering at a height of around 600 feet when it was shot at by unidentified persons from Banti village. The shots hit a window near the door, the tail and rotors,” said Wachyono.
A passenger, Dari Mary Jane, a Filipina citizen, sustained cuts from glass fragments. The aircraft continued its flight and landed at a helipad in Timika at 8:37 a.m. The passengers were airlifted to the Kuala Kencana Clinic on an Airfast chopper
The attack came as thousands of unionized employees were preparing to return to the Grasberg mine in the mountains of Papua province following a three-month strike that has crippled production at the sprawling operation.
Though the 8,000 striking workers were supposed to be back on the job on Saturday, after management agreed to a 37 percent pay hike, union spokesman Juli Parorrongan said plans were pushed back so the two sides could iron out last-minute details.
It was not immediately clear who was behind Saturday’s attack or what the motive may have been.
In a text message sent to the Post, PT Freeport Indonesia spokesman Ramdani Sirait said he had received the report of the shooting incident in which a passenger was injured.
“The police are currently investigating the case with the full support of the company,” Ramdani said in his message.