The crash of a turboprop plane operated by the National Police’s air division in the waters of Riau Islands is the six aviation accident in the country in less than three months, once again putting Indonesia’s aviation safety in the spotlight.

With 13 people on board, the Polish-made Skytruck M28 crashed near Lingga regency in Riau Islands while flying from Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Belitung, to Batam, in Riau province, on Saturday.

By Monday, a search and rescue team had found body parts, and debris believed to be part of the ill-fated plane’s tail section on the seabed at a depth of 24 meters.

Riau Island Police chief medical officer, Adj. Comr. Djarot Wibowo, said the body parts could not be immediately identified because most of them were “too small”.

In Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, family members of the plane’s captain, Adj. Comr. Tonce Manao, underwent DNA tests. East Nusa Tenggara Police chief Brig. Gen. E. Widyo Sunaryo said the DNA samples would be sent to the police’s facility in Jakarta to see if they matched the body parts.

Soerjanto Tjahjono, the chief of the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), which is mandated with investigating civilian transportation accidents, has said the committee is keen to help the National Police investigate the accident. “Even though the KNKT is not mandated to investigate accidents involving police or military aircraft, we can help investigate on request from them,” he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

“For instance, the KNKT was involved in the investigation into the recent crash of an army helicopter in Kalimantan,” Soerjanto added referring to a Bell 412 EP HA-5166 belonging to the Army that crashed into a ravine in Malinau regency, North Kalimantan, late last month.

One passenger survived the accident but four others died.

Soerjanto said the KNKT would need to scrutinize the plane’s maintenance record if the offer to help investigate the crash was accepted.

Previously, Tanjungpinang Navy commander, First. Adm. S. Irawan said witnesses had heard the plane’s engine stalling, followed by an explosion before it went down. Aviation expert Arista Atmaji said the witnesses’ accounts could indicate engine failure. Seorjanto, however, said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash.

On Sunday, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the government was mulling whether to install more air navigation systems and upgrading existing technology in Papua.

Three of the six aviation accidents that have occurred since October were in Puncak regency, Papua. On Nov. 23, a Cessna Caravan cargo plane skidded off the runway at Aminggaru Airport. The previous month a Caribou plane owned by the regency administration crashed on landing at the airport. On Oct. 13, another Caravan cargo plane failed to land at the same airport.

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