Ministry confirms pilot of Pelita Air charter plane died in crash

 The Transportation Ministry announced that the pilot of a fuel-carrying aircraft chartered by Pelita Air that crashed in Nunukan, North Kalimantan, has been confirmed dead.

"We received information at 3:16 p.m. Central Indonesian Time (WITA), stating that the pilot, Captain Hendrick Lodewyck Adam, was declared dead," the ministry's Director General of Air Transportation, Lukman F. Laisa

The plane that crashed on Thursday is an Air Tractor AT-802, registration PK-PAA, manufactured in 2013 with serial number 802-0494, operated by Pelita Air Service for transporting fuel to remote areas.

The plane reportedly crashed while en route from Long Bawan to Tarakan.

The plane departed Long Bawan Airport at 12:10 WITA for Tarakan Airport, carrying Pertamina fuel, with an estimated arrival time in Tarakan at 13:15 WITA.

According to Lukman, the Tarakan Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) received an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) from the plane at 12:20 WITA.

The cause of the crash, involving only the pilot as the sole crew member, remains under investigation. The pilot, Captain Hendrick Lodewyck Adam, was pronounced dead.

In terms of airworthiness, Lukman informed that the aircraft underwent routine 100-hour and 200-hour inspections on February 11, 2023. The aircraft's total flight time was 3,303 hours.

His office has coordinated with the operator, airport authorities, and relevant agencies to ensure proper handling of the incident.

The investigation will be carried out in accordance with applicable regulations by the relevant authorities.

"The Directorate General of Air Transportation expresses our deep concern over this incident and asks all parties to await verified official information," Lukman said.

Pelita Air previously stated that the aircraft that crashed in Nunukan, North Kalimantan, was a cargo-carrying aircraft, not a passenger-carrying aircraft.

Pelita Air Corporate Secretary Patria Rhamadonna on Thursday confirmed the plane did not bring any cabin crew or passengers.

She explained that the aircraft was a special fleet serving the One Price Fuel delivery mission to border areas.