Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 11 August 2009 |
Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error |
Site | Isurava, Papua New Guinea 8°53′S 147°44′E / 8.883°S 147.733°E |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Twin Otter |
Operator | Airlines PNG |
Registration | P2-MCB |
Flight origin | Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |
Destination | Kokoda Airport, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea |
Occupants | 13 |
Passengers | 11 |
Crew | 2 |
Fatalities | 13 |
Survivors | 0 |
Airlines PNG Flight 4684 (CG4682/TOK4684) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by Papua New Guinean airliner Airlines PNG, flying from Jacksons International Airport in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby to Kokoda Airport in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. On 11 August 2009, the aircraft operating the flight, a de Havilland Canada Twin Otter, crashed into a forest in Kokoda Valley, a popular trekking site in Papua New Guinea, while carrying 13 people in bad weather. A search and rescue operation was conducted by authorities and found the wreckage of the crashed plane on the next day, 12 August 2009. The aircraft was severely damaged, and searchers found no signs of life. Papua New Guinean Search and Rescue Agency then announced that everyone on board was killed instantly in the crash.[1]
The Accident Investigation Commission (AIC) investigated the cause of the crash and released its final report, concluding that the plane crashed due to pilot error. The plane deviated from its original flight path and the visual reference in Kokoda Gap was obscured by clouds, causing the pilots to not be aware of their proximity with the ground. The AIC classified the accident as controlled flight into terrain.[2]