Indonesia plane crash: Military jet bursts in flames as it plummets into residential area
AN INDONESIAN military fighter jet crashed into a residential area in the northern part of the country, it has emerged this morning.
Indonesia: Firefighters tackle blaze at Hawk-209 crash in Kampar
An Indonesian Air Force Hawk 209 jet fighter crashed in Riau Province in the early hours of Monday morning. Indonesian Air Force spokesman First Marshal Fajar Adriyanto said that the aircraft departed from Rusmin Nuryadin Air Base in Pekanbaru city on Monday before crashing about 5km away in Kubang Jaya.
Reports suggest that the pilot was able to eject himself and he survived the accident.
He was taken to Dr. Soekirman Air Force Hospital in Pekanbaru but it is not known whether he was injured.
In a statement to The Jakarta Post, the Indonesian Air Force, added: “We are still investigating the cause of the accident and the number of casualties."
Separately, a local official said he was informed of the crash at 7:30am with the accident taking place behind a high school.
Another witness told local media: "The plane crashed at the house of a resident, Markun.
"We don't know if there were victims. The house is empty, the owner is rarely at home."
The witness said that a 30 metre cordon had been set up around the crash site by Air Force personnel.
Desribing the incident, residents said they heard a loud explosion and saw someone dressed in an Air Force pilot uniform floating in the air with a parachute.
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BREAKING NEWS ⚠️⚠️
— JATOSINT (@Jatosint) June 15, 2020
An Indonesian Air Force #TNIAU Hawk-209 crashed at Kampar, Riau
Hope that no one injured ������������
������: antara pic.twitter.com/vaA12XzLj4
The crash has been the second accident involving military aircraft in the country in less than a fortnight.
An Army helicopter crashed in Central Java and killed four on board on Saturday 6th June.
The Hawk jets, manufactured by BAE Systems, are based at Roesmin Nurjadin airbase in Pekanbaru, the capital of Indonesian province of Riau.
The Air Force has been planning to replace its Hawk 100/200 jets which have been in service for 25 years with newer fighter jets as part of the Indonesian Military's recent efforts to modernize its weapon system.
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#Foto Asap membubung dari pesawat milik TNI AU yang jatuh dan terbakar. Pesawat ini jatuh di permukiman penduduk di Desa Kubang Jaya Kecamatan Siak Hulu, Kampar, Riau. Begini potretnya! #PesawatTempur #Riau
— detikcom (@detikcom) June 15, 2020
Foto: Antara Foto/Hendri/FBA pic.twitter.com/3GFMVN2Ayk
Meanwhile, an American pilot died when her plane malfunctioned while she was on her way to deliver COVID-19 rapid test kits to a remote Indonesian village last month.
Joyce Lin, 40, died on Tuesday 12th May after leaving Sentani airport in Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost province.
She was a missionary with the Mission Aviation Fellowship, serving as a pilot and an information technolgoy specialist for three years.
It is believed that within minutes of takeoff, she reported an emergency and the aircraft fell into nearby Lake Sentani.