Tragedy struck Sunday morning in Indonesia’s Gorontalo province when a SAM Air Twin Otter aircraft crashed, resulting in multiple fatalities. The incident occurred shortly before the plane’s scheduled arrival at Bumi Panua Airport in Pohuwato regency.
Crash Details
According to reports, the twin-engine turboprop plane departed from Djalaluddin Airport in Gorontalo regency at 7:03 a.m. Central Indonesia Time. Contact with the aircraft was lost minutes before its expected arrival time of 7:33 a.m. Local authorities received confirmation of the crash near Bumi Panua Airport around 9:00 a.m.
Heriyanto, head of the Gorontalo Search and Rescue Agency, confirmed the incident, stating, “The SAM Air aircraft’s last contact was with AirNav Makassar, and we received information that it had crashed near Bumi Panua Airport in Pohuwato,” as quoted by Kompas.com.
Investigation Underway
Lukman F. Laisa, the Transportation Ministry’s acting civil aviation director general, announced that the ministry is collaborating with the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) and other relevant agencies to investigate the cause of the crash.
“I hope the investigation proceeds smoothly, and that preventative measures can be taken in the future to enhance aviation safety,” Laisa said.
Details surrounding the cause of the crash remain under investigation. Updates will be provided as they become available.
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