Contact with the Pilatus-type Yajazi PK UCE plane was lost at 13.13 eastern Indonesian time, some time after it had taken off from Pagai to fly to Wamena, Jayawijaya district.Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - A plane reportedly crashed in a mountainous area in Indonesia`s easternmost province of Papua on Thursday after it had lost contact with air traffic control in Wamena, Jayawijaya district.
An informed source told ANTARA News, contact with the Pilatus-type Yajazi PK UCE plane was lost at 13.13 eastern Indonesian time, some time after it had taken off from Pagai to fly to Wamena, Jayawijaya district, Papua.
The plane was piloted by Paul Westlund from the United States and carried two passengers and agricultural produce.
Chief of the Papua provincial police`s public relations bureau Senior Commissioner Wachyono confirmed the plane crash.
"True, a Yajazi plane has crashed in Papua`s hinterland around Pas Valey in Yakuhimo district or Yalimo district," the spokesman said.
"we believe the pilot and passengers were killed. But we still don`t know the identities of the passengers," he said.
The source said the bodies of the pilot and two passengers had been evacuated to Jayapura, capital of Papua province.
The plane was the second to crash in a mountainous area in Papua in almost two weeks.
Earlier, on Friday (Sept 9), a Susi Air plane crashed in a mountainous area in Papua, killing its pilot and co-pilot.
The bodies of the pilot, identified as David Cootes of Australia, and the co-pilot, identified as Thomas Munk of Slovakia were found after days of searching using three helicopters.
The Susi Air passenger plane crashed after it lost contact with the air traffic control tower in Wamena, Jayawijaya district.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
