The aircraft crashed two minutes following departure, Commander of the Silas Papare Air Base First Marshal Tri Bowo confirmed here on Tuesday.
A witness aboard another plane remarked that the Kodiac airplane crashed into the lake, some two nautical miles south of the Sentani Airport’s radar.
The Silas Papare Air Base commander deployed a team to the lake area to search for the missing aircraft.
On a separate occasion, Norbert Tunyanan, a representative of the National Transport Safety Committee (KNKT) in Papua, remarked that the ill-fated aircraft was piloted by Joice Lin, a US national.
"The search and rescue team is currently still looking for the plane in Lake Sentani and the surrounding area," Tunyanan noted. Related news: Plane with broken wheel overshoots runway at Papua's Mulia Airport
Related news: Aircraft with seven people on board missing in Papua
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Evarukdihati, Fardah
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
