Indonesia plane crash kills 15, wounds 3
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-22 14:38

A police transport plane crashed into the sea Tuesday while trying to land in the eastern province of Papua, killing 15 people and injuring three, a police spokesman said.

The CASA 212 Aviocar was carrying 18 passengers and crew when it went down while approaching the airfield, said national police spokesman Brig. Gen. Soenarko Danuarwanto.

The pilot and three police officers were among the dead, he said. The other eleven fatalities were civilian passengers.

Witnesses said one of the plane's engines failed as it was making its final approach at the airport, 150 miles northeast of Jayapura, the provincial capital of Papua.

The aircraft was en route from the town of Sentani, near Jayapura.

The Spanish-built Aviocar is a light, twin-turboprop transport plane widely used by developing countries in a variety of roles including fisheries patrol and maritime rescue. The type was assembled in Indonesia under license in the 1980s.