General Killed as Plane Crash-Lands on Road

July 20, 2002 05:22 PM, 

Laksamana.Net -  A small plane making a joyride over Jakarta crash-landed in traffic on a busy Jakarta toll road Saturday (20/7/02), killing the pilot and injuring an Australian policeman and at least two motorists, reports said.

The plane was piloted by Brigadier General Bakat Purwanto, head of the National Police Detective Unit’s anti-corruption section. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Indonesian Christian University Hospital.

The single-engine plane had reportedly taken off on a training flight from Pondok Cabe airstrip, south of Jakarta, and was heading toward Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport in East Jakarta, when it ran into trouble.

Purwanto apparently tried to make an emergency landing, but the plane struck some trees and then crashed onto the Jagorawi toll road, which links Jakarta and the West Java city of Bogor.

One of the injured passengers, identified as Australian Federal Police officer Michael Watson (58), was hospitalized with a minor head injury. Australian Associated Press (AAP) quoted him as saying the plane's engine had failed on takeoff.

The two other passengers, local management consultant Andreas Thanas and his son Matthew (6), sustained light injuries.

The three men were reportedly friends and had regularly made joyflights over the city.

State news agency Antara said the plane, owned by the All-Indonesia Aerosport Federation, hit a Toyato Kijang car on the toll road, injuring one person inside the vehicle.

An Isuzu Panther car behind the Kijang slammed on its brakes to avoid a crash but was then hit by a bus from behind. A taxi was also reportedly involved in the chain-collision, which caused a massive traffic jam on the toll road.

Reports said the wings and nose of the plane were wrecked but the body of the aircraft was mostly intact.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.

Last Tuesday (16/7/02) a small plane crashed in East Kalimantan province, killing all 10 passengers and crew.