The helicopter crash happened on Tuesday, 20th February 2024, in the Halmahera Forest area of North Maluku at 12:41 PM local time. The helicopter involved in this incident was owned by PT Weda Bay Nickel (WBN) and was utilized for transporting logistics to their exploration site. However, it was reported that the helicopter lost contact approximately thirty minutes after taking off.
The helicopter carried three individuals: two pilots and one passenger. Farthur Rahman, Head of the Ternate Rescue Team, stated that the Bell 429 PK-WSW helicopter departed for the Jiguru area in North Weda at 12:41 local time. Approximately 6 minutes later, the pilot transmitted a final message before communication was lost once again, leaving Jiguru.
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Thirty minutes later, at 11:15 PM local time, an explosion was heard, and KRH radio continued its attempts to contact the helicopter pilot. Unfortunately, they received no response after the last message left from Jiguru earlier.
“According to the statement from the PK WSW crew, the pilot proceeded with the journey to PN East. However, there was no communication from the pilot to the radio operator after departing the Jiguru area,” Fathur added.
On 21st February 2024, the helicopter was eventually located approximately 5 kilometres from the initial search area after aerial monitoring. Unfortunately, all occupants, including two pilots and one official passenger, were confirmed to have perished in the helicopter crash. By 22nd February 2024, the bodies of the three victims had been safely retrieved and transported to Cekel Airport, from where they would be taken to the nearest hospital.
As of now, the rescue team has not been able to ascertain the primary cause of the helicopter crash. However, adverse weather conditions are suspected as a leading factor in the loss of contact while airborne. One of the deceased victims from the helicopter crash has been flown to Soekarno Hatta Airport, Jakarta, where their family received them directly.
