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K20,000 bars way to plane
By SHEILA LASIBORI
THE Transport and Civil Aviation
Department must make a K20,000 payment to Gasmata people in West
New Britain province before its investigators can have access to
the crash site and the wreckage of the twin otter aircraft that
claimed the lives of two pilots.
The Canada-based maker of the aircraft engine has also been denied
access to the engine to determine if it had anything to do with
the crash.
Members of the air safety investigation team from the air
transport division speaking on the condition of anonymity said
they travelled to the area about a week ago but were not allowed
by the locals to travel to the crash site or reach the wreckage of
the aircraft unless K20,000 was paid.
The aircraft owned by Airlink Limited crashed in April while on a
newspaper delivery flight to Hoskins. Two pilots on board the
aircraft were killed.
They were Capt Patrick Kundin, 27 from Western Highlands province
and 33-year-old first officer Fred Murdoch from Kiribati.
West New Britain provincial police commander Supt Sylvester Euga
is not aware of the K20,000 claim but said he would instruct his
officers, who were deployed yesterday to the area on polling
duties, to check on this matter.
Investigators told The National yesterday the only way to gain
access to the area would be with the help from the provincial
government and the local police.
The officers said they were concerned the delay in reaching the
wreckage would result in the loss of necessary evidence needed to
establish the cause of the crash.
“The longer we leave the engine and parts of the aircraft out
there in the bush, the more the elements and the environment would
erase potential evidence,” an investigator said.
He added that the manufacturers (of the engine) needed the engine
for their own investigations.
Meanwhile, the officers are still awaiting a report from Rolls
Royce in Philippines, the maker of the B206 Long Ranger helicopter
owned by Heli Niugini Limited that crashed at Tolukuma in Central
province last October claiming four lives including that of an
Australian pilot.
The investigators said this report and others done locally would
together establish the cause of the crash.
 
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