Victims Of The Airplane Crash Super Tucano Of The Indonesian Air Force Buried Today

Head of the Air Force Information Service (Kadispenau) First Marshal R Agung Sasongkojati (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The accident victim involving two EMB-314 Super Tucano tactical fighter aircraft belonging to the 21st Air Squadron Abdulrachman Saleh Air Force in the Pasuruan Regency, East Java will be buried today, Friday 17 November.

The four bodies of victims of the TNI AU fighter crash will be buried at Squadron 21 Abdulrachman Saleh Air Base, while the military release will take place on Friday 17 November. Regarding the funeral plan, there is no definite information, but a military ceremony will be held to release the bodies.

"Our party has not received any information regarding the purpose of the body, because this is related to the wishes of the family. However, we guarantee that the handling of the bodies will be carried out properly," said the Head of the Air Force Information Service (Kadispenau) First Marshal of the Indonesian Armed Forces, Agung Sasongkojati, quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, November 16 evening.

Agung stated that the four victims of the TNI AU fighter crash had been found dead. The last victim found was Lt. Col. Pnb Sandhra 'Chevron' Gunawan, who is also the Commander of the 21st Air Squadron.

"The body Lieutenant Colonel Sandhra was found at 19.00 WIB, and will be brought here soon," said Agung.

Agung explained that with the discovery of the body of Lieutenant Colonel Sandhra, all the crew of the Super Tucano plane that crashed in the Puspo District, Pasuruan Regency, East Java, had been found. Unfortunately, no one survived the incident.

In the accident, three other victims were Colonel Adm Widiono Hadiwijaya (Head of Abdulrachman Saleh Air Base Personnel Service), Colonel Pnb Subhan (Danwing Air 2 Abdulrachman Saleh Air Base), and Major Pnb Yuda A Seta.

According to Agung, the two bodies, Major Pnb Yuda A Seta and Colonel Pnb Subhan, were already at Abd Saleh Malang Air Base and buried in the hangar after being evacuated to the Air Force Hospital.

"Colonnel Widiono and Lt. Col. Sandhra will soon follow to be taken to Abd Saleh Malang Air Base," he added.

Agung emphasized that the two bodies would be examined and cleaned at the hospital before being taken to Abdulrachman Saleh Air Base, Malang.

Agung thanked the surrounding community, territorial apparatus, and nature lovers who have helped in the evacuation process. In addition, related elements also helped secure the location of the incident.

As previously reported, two EMB-314 Super Tucano Air Force tactical fighter aircraft crashed in Pasuruan Regency, East Java, on Thursday afternoon. Both aircraft with registration numbers TT-3111 and TT-3103 are undergoing routine training sessions.

During the training session, four mid-level officers of the Indonesian Air Force were involved as crew members. The plane took off at 10.51 WIB and lost contact at 11.18 WIB. Temporary suspicions suggest that bad weather was the cause of the crash of the fighter.