What happened
On the morning of the incident, a military aircraft departed Lae-Nadzab Airport at 0641 local time. The flight was scheduled to proceed to Mokmer Aerodrome on Biak Island, with a planned en route stop at Tadji Airfield. The aircraft failed to arrive at its destination or the intermediate waypoint. Search efforts yielded no trace of the airframe or any of the personnel aboard. Consequently, all 19 occupants, consisting of five crew members and fourteen passengers, were listed as missing.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the exact cause of the disappearance remained unknown. Reports indicated that the loss might have resulted from possible enemy antiaircraft fire or navigational circumstances. No definitive wreckage was ever located to confirm these hypotheses.