US pilot killed in small plane crash in Indonesia's Papua

JAKARTA - A US national, a pilot of a small plane, was killed on Tuesday as the cargo aircraft went down into a lake in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua, Head of Search and Rescue Office in the province Zainul Thahar said.

The plane carrying foods and medical assistance crashed at about 6:30 am local time, around three minutes after taking off from the Sentani airport in Jayapura district, Thahar said.

"The plane went down into Lake Sentani in the district, killing the pilot. She is a US citizen," he told Xinhua by phone.

The plane was heading to Tolikara district to deliver the humanitarian assistance, he added.

The body of 41-year-old Joyce Chaisin has been evacuated but the wreckage of the plane remains in the lake floor. The wreckage would be lifted if there is a request from the national transport safety committee.

The cause of the accident has not been found out, Thahar said, citing that an investigation would be carried out by investigators from the committee.

"But, the weather was clear when the accident was happening," he said.

The provincial police said in a statement that the pilot had sent a mayday distress radio call before the mishap, but officers at the air traffic control did not get an answer when the call was responded.