Paperless Aussie airplane impounded in Merauke

Nethy Dharma Somba and Novan Iman Santosa
The Jakarta Post, Jayapura/Jakarta

An Australian airplane has been impounded at Mopah Airport in Merauke, Papua, since Friday for entering Indonesia without proper documents, officials told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The twin piston P-68 airplane, registration VH-PFP, flew out from Horn Island, Australia, and landed in Mopah Airport at about 11:28 a.m. local time (9:28 a.m. Jakarta time) without flight approval or security clearance.

Mopah Airport administrator Herson said the airplane was a charter flight carrying tourists.

"The airplane has been impounded at Mopah Airport because it has violated regulations for entering our territory. (Its operators) will be fined," he told the Post by telephone.

"The passengers said they were planning to visit Merauke for sightseeing."

The airplane was manned by pilot William Henry Scott Bloxam and co-pilot Vera Scott Bloxam. The three passengers are Hubert Hofer, Karen Burke and Keith Rowald Mortimer.

The crew and passengers are currently being held in isolation at Hotel Asmat because the airport does not have an isolation room.

Herson said the airport had coordinated with the Australian Embassy to process all the necessary documents.

"Once they have all the required documents, we will release the airplane," he said.

"But we will still charge a fine based on its weight."

The chief of Merauke Immigration Office, Fredy Manus, told reporters the crew and passengers had passports with them but no visas.

"We are still isolating the crew and passengers while waiting for the results of an investigation by the air transportation directorate general and the Indonesian Military over the paperless aircraft," he said.

Fiona Hoggart of the Australian Embassy said in a telephone interview the embassy was aware of the case and was providing consular assistance.

Indonesian Air Force spokesman, Air Commodore Chaeruddin Ray, said the aircraft belonged to Cape Air Transport, based in Cooktown in northern Australia.

Chaeruddin said the crew had submitted a flight plan from Australia to Merauke, but were unable to produce the required documents when asked.

"They then claimed they landed in Merauke for emergency reasons," he told the Post by telephone.

"How can they say it was an emergency landing while in fact the flight plan put Merauke as the destination?"

Chaeruddin said landing without the proper documentation was permissible under some circumstances, including emergency landings.

"But again, the flight plan has Merauke as the destination so this was not an emergency landing," he said.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Monday, Sept. 15, 2008