Jakarta. A foreign pilot was killed after an Indonesian pioneer aircraft was set on fire by unidentified assailants after landing at a remote airstrip in Indonesia's eastern Papua Highlands province on Thursday, authorities said.

The aircraft, operated by PT AMA and registered PK-RCY, departed Wamena Airport at 6:30 a.m. local time carrying seven passengers and one pilot before landing at the Balinggama Airstrip in Jayawijaya Regency at 6:46 a.m. local time, according to the Transportation Ministry.

Lukman F. Laisa, director general of civil aviation, said weather conditions along the route were favorable and there had been no reports of security concerns at the airstrip before the flight.

After the pilot reported that the aircraft had landed, communications from the airstrip were lost.

The Transportation Ministry said it had received an initial report from the head of the Wamena airport authority confirming that the pilot, Nicholas F. Goselin, a US citizen, had died. Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact cause of the incident, pending an investigation by security agencies.

The ministry said PT AMA, airport authorities and relevant agencies were verifying the sequence of events to establish the facts surrounding the attack. It also expressed condolences and said it was coordinating with the airline operator, security forces, local government and other stakeholders.

Earlier, local media reported that the aircraft had been set ablaze by the Armed Criminal Group (KKB), the term Indonesian authorities use for separatist armed groups operating in Papua.

Zet Salino, police chief of Yahukimo Regency, said authorities had received reports that the aircraft was allegedly burned by KKB members. However, he said officials had been unable to verify the condition of the aircraft or the pilot immediately because the remote crash site is accessible only by air.

"We received reports that the AMA aircraft with registration PK-RCY was allegedly burned by the KKB. However, the condition of the aircraft and the fate of the pilot could not be immediately confirmed because the location can only be reached by air," Zet said.

Papua has experienced a long-running low-level insurgency by separatist groups, with aviation services frequently serving as the only means of transportation to many isolated communities. Small commercial and pioneer aircraft operating in the region have periodically been targeted in attacks, prompting heightened security measures for flights into remote areas.

Thursday's attack recalled another incident involving civil aviation in Papua in recent years. In February 2023, Philip Mark Mehrtens, a New Zealand pilot working for Susi Air, was kidnapped by separatist fighters after landing a Susi Air aircraft at Paro Airstrip in Nduga Regency. The aircraft was burned and Mehrtens was taken into the jungle by a group led by Egianus Kogoya. During his roughly 19-month captivity, the group used the pilot as leverage to press its demands for Papuan independence and at times sought ransom payments and weapons. Mehrtens was released safely on Sept. 21, 2024, following negotiations involving Indonesian authorities and community leaders.

Add as a preferred source on Google +