The five helicopter crew all survived (the crash) and suffered only injuries due to impact
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Defence Forces (TNI) have set up a fact-finding team to investigate the crash of an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) Bell 412 helicopter in Bandung, West Java, on Sunday (May 28, 2023).

The team will probe the cause of the crash, TNI Commander Admiral Yudo Margono said after attending a national coordinating meeting on the 2024 General Elections here on Monday.

"Regarding the helicopter crash, we will ask the fact-finding team to examine the cause of the crash, whether there were weather, technical, or other factors; the team will conduct the probe," he informed.

He affirmed that the fact-finding team will work professionally, in accordance with the procedures, to investigate the incident.

The Bell 412 chopper crashed at Patenggang Village, Rancabali, Bandung, West Java, at 1:30 p.m. local time on Sunday while supporting the Army's 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion pre-assignment training.

According to the Indonesian Army Information Office, the helicopter, flown by TNI-AD's Aviation Center, burned upon impact. However, all five crew members on board the helicopter survived and were taken to a hospital in Cimahi.

"The five helicopter crew all survived (the crash) and suffered only injuries due to impact," the information office head, Brigadier General Hamim Tohari, informed, according to a written statement released on Sunday.

The chronology and causes of the crash are being investigated by the authority, he said, adding that the TNI-AD has sent an investigation team to probe the incident.

The Bell 412 helicopter, an upgrade from Bell 212 type helicopter, is a multi-purpose helicopter produced by United States company Bell Helicopter Textron. The US company cooperated with Indonesian Aerospace to assemble 412 SP and 412 HP helicopter types.

In February 2022, a different helicopter of the same type operated by the Indonesian Police was forced to make an emergency landing in the wilderness of Kerinci district, Jambi, while transporting Jambi Police chief, Inspector General Rusdi Hartono, and his entourage.

All eight passengers, including Hartono, survived the incident and were evacuated to safety.

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Translator: Genta Tenri M, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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