Body of pilot retrieved from crash

By JUNIOR UKAHA
THE body of North Coast Aviation (NCA) pilot who was killed in a plane crash along the Sarawaged Range in Morobe, was retrieved and airlifted to Lae yesterday.
NCA management could not be reached for comment but police said a search and rescue team was sent into the crash site and it retrieved the body between 8 and 9am.
Morobe rural police commander Insp David Warap said the body was transported to Lae in a helicopter before taken to a Funeral Home at 14-Mile.
“The same rescue team from Porgera Joint Venture (PJV) that had tried for several days eventually retrieved his body. Air crash investigators (from Port Moresby) have arrived and are in Lae to investigate,” he said.
“They will be working closely with the NCA management to find out the situation surrounding the crash.”
Warap said family members of the pilot were notified of the incident by the company.
The pilot was identified as David Tong, an Australian citizen who had worked for NCA for some time, flying to various parts of the province.
The crashed happened in a remote location between Dinangat and Yawan villages at the foot of the Sarawaged Range.
Tong was returning from Derim airstrip in Kabwum last Saturday when his plane crashed.
He was still alive after the crash and used his mobile phone to call for help on Saturday. A PJV rescue team arrived to locate him on Sunday and later on Monday but could not because of bad weather.
Tong had unfortunately succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene of the accident.