...

Indonesian Air Force chopper crashes, kills one

Other News Materials 11 March 2008 11:06 (UTC +04:00)

(dpa) - An Indonesian Air Force helicopter crashed Tuesday in West Java, killing one crew member and injuring another, officials and local media reports said.

The Jakarta-based Elshinta private radio station reported the Bell-47 chopper with two people on board, caught fire immediately after it crashed in a sugarcane field in the district of Subang.

Subang police chief Sugiono, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, told the radio station that the helicopter's pilot, identified as Lieutenant Hengki, was killed while its mechanic Ridi suffered burns and was rushed to hospital for treatment.

Air Force spokesman Chairuddin Ray said the helicopter was on a training exercise when it crashed about 30 kilometres from Subang's Suryadharma Air Force Base, where the helicopter took off.

Ray said an investigation are under way to determine the cause of the crash, the second aviation accident in Indonesia in two days.

On Monday, a Boeing 737-400 jetliner belonging to Indonesia's Adam Air skidded off a wet runway while landing at Batam's Hang Nadim airport, injuring five of its 174 passengers.

Latest

Latest