54 feared dead as plane hits mountain

Villagers found the wreckage of the Trigana 42-300 plane in remote Papua province

WRECKAGE from an Indonesian plane carrying 54 people has been found in a remote jungle region of the country.

 

The Trigana Air flight lost contact with air traffic control shortly before 3pm local time.

It was just 33 minutes into the flight from the regional capital Jayapura to the city of Oksibil.

Indonesia’s transport minister said villagers in the densely forested Bintang region of Oksibil, in Papua province, had found the remains of the aircraft.

Villagers told authorities they had seen a plane flying low before crashing into a mountain.

It is not known whether there are any survivors. The ATR42-300 twin turboprop plane, had 49 passengers – 44 adults and five children – and five crew on board for the 42-minute flight.

A pilot who is capable of flying there will be able to fly an aircraft in any part of the world

Aviation analyst Dudi Sudibyo 

 

Media reports claimed all the passengers were Indonesians.

Transport ministry spokesman Julius Barata said there was no indication the pilot had made a distress call, despite heavy rain, high winds and fog.

A search and rescue expedition launched yesterday was suspended overnight.

Air travel is common in Papua province, where dense forests and mountains make land travel difficult.

Aviation analyst Dudi Sudibyo said it is a dangerous region to fly over due to its mountainous terrain and rapidly changing weather.

He said: “A pilot who is capable of flying there will be able to fly an aircraft in any part of the world.”

The Aviation Safety Network claimed Trigana Air Service has had 14 serious incidents since 1991.