BNPB Helicopters Emergency Landing In East Kalimantan Peat Land, This Is The Cause

JAKARTA - The helicopter from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) made an emergency landing in an open area on the peatlands of Mendawai Seberang Village, West Kotawaringin Regency, Central Kalimantan on Wednesday, July 26.

Head of BNPB Disaster Data and Communication Center Abdul Muhari explained that this incident occurred because the pilot felt a vibration disturbance when flying from Palembang to Pangkalan Bun.

"Pilot then decided to land in any open area (AOA) or open area to be checked by the engineer who participated in the flight," said Abdul Muhari in his statement, Thursday, July 27.

Landing in this open area is the pilot's decision if the helicopter is blocked by bad weather or there is a disturbance, so it must be checked and repaired on the spot before continuing the flight back to its destination.

Abdul Muhari emphasized that the Mi8 MTV1 helicopter was certainly not damaged after further checking.

"All pilots and crew were also confirmed safe after the helicopter landed perfectly. However, because the runway was not strong enough to withstand the helicopter load, the front wheels collapsed," said Abdul Muhari.

It is known that the helicopter with registration number EX-08042 will be used for the implementation of water bombing as an effort to deal with forest and land fires (karhutla) in the South Kalimantan region.

In addition to water bombing, BNPB also deployed other helicopters for patrols. The forest and land fires disaster in the South Kalimantan region itself has reached 1,552 points according to data compiled from June 24 to July 24, 2023.