Thanks to good collaboration from all parties, the entire crew and passengers of the aircraft were found and had been evacuated to a hospital in Timika.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - State-run air traffic control service provider AirNav Indonesia revealed that the Susi Air plane that reportedly went missing on Thursday morning was found about five kilometers (km) from Duma Village, Mapenduma Sub-district, Nduga District, Papua.

Corporate Secretary of AirNav Indonesia Rosedi noted in a statement received here on Thursday that the plane took off from the Timika Moses Kilangin Airport in Mimika District, Papua Province, at 5:32 a.m. Eastern Indonesian Standard Time (WIT, UTC+9), served by the AirNav branch office in Timika.

The departure of the subsidized pioneer mode of air transport, which carried aboard six passengers, proceeded normally in sunny weather.

The estimated arrival time of the Pilatus Porter PC-6 plane, with registration number PK-BVM, at Duma Airstrip was 5:49 a.m. WIT.

Later, the plane was scheduled to fly back to the Timika Moses Kilangin Airport at 8:00 a.m. WIT.

However, AirNav Indonesia was informed by Susi Air that the plane had met with an accident.

The plane was reported to have lost contact at 8:20 a.m. WIT.

Related news: Susi Air plane lost contact during flight to Timika

Intensive coordination with the Timika Sub-district Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Timika Air Force Base, as well as other planes operating around the missing aircraft’s route was conducted as an emergency response.

"Thanks to good collaboration from all parties, the entire crew and passengers of the aircraft were found and had been evacuated to a hospital in Timika," Rosedi remarked.

Earlier, the owner of Susi Air, Susi Pudjiastuti, reported that all passengers on the plane along with the pilot, Dayle Peter Houzet, were found safe.

She conveyed the information through her Twitter account, @susipudjiastuti.

According to the Head of Information Service at the National Police, Brigadier General Ahmad Ramadhan, all victims had been treated at the Mimika Regional Hospital.

Ramadhan noted that the victims were evacuated by using the Air Force’s helicopter, piloted by Mayor Adam Hardiman.

The police official noted that the pilot and three passengers suffered from broken legs, while three other passengers got injured.

Meanwhile, the aircraft was severely damaged due to the crash landing, he added.
Related news: Joint SAR team evacuates Susi Air crash victims to Timika
Related news: Susi Air passengers found safe after reported missing in Papua



Translator: Adimas Fahky, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2022