"On Thursday, at 11:18 local time, we lost contact with two Super Tucano planes from Abdulrachman Saleh Air Base in Malang. The two planes are suspected to have had an accident. According to reports, the two planes crashed in the Keduwung Area," he stated.
During training session, the two planes were flown by a total of four mid-ranking Indonesian Air Force officers, namely Lieutenant Colonel Sandhra “Chevron” Gunawan, commander of Air Squadron 21; Colonel Subhan, wing commander 2 of the Abdulrachman Saleh Air Base; Colonel Widiono Hadiwijaya, chief of Air Base Personnel at the Abdulrachman Saleh Air Base; and Major Yuda A. Seta.
Lieutenant Colonel Gunawan and Colonel Hadiwijaya boarded a plane, with registration number TT-3111, while Major Seta and Colonel Subhan used a plane, with registration number TT-3103.
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Lieutenant Colonel Gunawan and Major Seta sat in the front seater, while Colonel Hadiwijaya and Colonel Subhan were in the back seater.
Sasongkojati is currently headed to Malang, East Java, to obtain latest information on the condition of the plane and crew.
He noted that the condition of all victims is still unknown. However, unofficial videos circulating show residents finding one of the victims identified as Colonel Hadiwijaya.
However, neither the Indonesian Air Force nor the local search and rescue (SAR) agency has issued an official statement regarding this matter.
Meanwhile, one of the residents of Puspo Sub-district, Pasuruan, Muhammad, stated that the plane crashed on a mountain slope that is usually used by residents to plant potatoes.
"The location is on a mountain slope, a local agricultural area," he remarked.
Related news: Pilot, two civilians killed in E. Java`s plane crash
Translator: Genta Tenri M, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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