Indonesian helicopter goes missing during search for crashed plane

Indonesian helicopter goes missing during search for crashed plane

2011-09-11 10:46:03 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAYAPURA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- An Indonesian Army helicopter carrying five people went missing on Saturday while searching for a small plane which crashed in Indonesia's Papua region a day earlier, local media reported on Sunday.

The Bell 412 helicopter had taken off from Timika Airport in Mimika Regency of Papua province at around 2.45 p.m. local time on Saturday to search for a Cessna 108 B Grand Caravan operated by Indonesia's Susi Air. The small plane, carrying two foreigners, crashed in the region on Friday afternoon while carrying fuel and food to a remote area.

About an hour after the rescue helicopter took off, at around 3.51 p.m. local time, the air traffic control tower lost contact with the aircraft, according to the Kompas newspaper. It was not immediately clear if the chopper made a safe emergency landing or if it crashed in the mountainous region while searching for the aircraft.

Meanwhile, the two foreigners who were on board the Susi Air aircraft also remain missing. The plane's wreckage was located by a rescue helicopter near Tangma village in the Yahukimo district on Friday but it could not land due to extreme weather conditions.

The foreigners were previously identified as Dave Coots from Australia, the pilot, and Thomas Munk of Slovakia.

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