Indonesia’s transport ministry says pioneer passenger flights at Kuala Pembuang Airport are continuing while the airport supports the response to an Army Mi-17V5 helicopter crash in Central Kalimantan.
Its November 5 update follows the November 4 accident involving HA-5235 during a forest-firefighting mission in the Tanjung Puting National Park area.
Passenger flows and aircraft parking adjusted
The airport has changed passenger movement arrangements and aircraft parking positions to accommodate the response while maintaining pioneer services, the ministry says. This is a continuity statement, not an announcement of an airport closure.
Director General of Civil Aviation Lukman F. Laisa said airport facilities were being readied to support the handling of the accident alongside public aviation services.
What remains unresolved
The ministry reports that the bodies of two victims were flown to Semarang aboard an Army CASA 212. In a separate November 5 statement, Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) confirmed that two Indonesian Army personnel died and said the search for a third was still underway at the time of its update.
The helicopter was a state aircraft operated by the Indonesian Army. The ministry directs further victim, evacuation and cause updates to the responsible authorities. Its statement provides no accident-cause finding.
Passengers should check individual flights with their operator and follow airport instructions.
Source: Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, November 5.
Archive illustration: an Afghan Mi-17 at Kabul International Airport, October 29, 2011; a different aircraft and operator, not HA-5235 or the Indonesian response. Photo: Senior Airman Amber Williams / U.S. Air Force, public domain. Resized and compressed to WebP. No endorsement implied.
