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Pilot killed as fertilizer plane crashes in Lampung
A light plane used to spray fertilizer on oil palm plantations in North Rawajitu, Mesuji regency, Lampung, crashed on Saturday, killing its pilot
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light plane used to spray fertilizer on oil palm plantations in North Rawajitu, Mesuji regency, Lampung, crashed on Saturday, killing its pilot.
The crash took place at 11 a.m. when the Fletcher FU 24-950 plane, reportedly belonging to PT Sumber Indah Perkasa (SIP), had taken off, Lampung Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Sulistyaningsih said.
'The plane suddenly came down about three minutes after it took off,' Sulistyaningsih said as quoted by Antara news agency.
The plane did not damage any residential properties as it crashed in the area of PT SIP. The nearest village is Sidang Gunung Tiga.
The pilot, Muhammad Adipura, 47, a Bogor, West Java, resident, died at the accident site due to severe injuries to his head and legs, while the plane itself was heavily damaged.
Yusuf Arafuli, 30, a local village head who also witnessed the incident, said that the weather was fine that day.
'The weather was calm. No rain or strong winds,' Yusuf said as quoted by Kompas.com on Saturday.
Yusuf said that Adepura's body was immediately rushed to Menggala Hospital in Tulang Bawang regency, before it was later transported to the Lampung capital of Bandar Lampung for a post-mortem examination.
He explained that PT SIP was a big plantation company that frequently used planes to spray fertilizer throughout its vast palm plantation areas. The police are still investigating the cause of the accident.
There have been a number of aviation incidents, involving light aircrafts, in the last few years.
In August 2012, for instance, a Cessna aircraft, chartered by Elliott Geophysics International, disappeared from the radar in East Kalimantan. The plane left Samarinda for a 90-minute flight to survey a coal mining site. A pilot, two Indonesian nationals and the company's Australian owner were on board.
In April, 2012, a Susi Air aircraft also crashed in East Kalimantan and killed a South African pilot and an Australian surveyor.
The aircraft was conducting a mining survey when it lost contact with Balikpapan Airport five hours after take-off due to fuel problems.
