On June 23, 2023, a Cessna 208A Caravan (registration PK-SMW) operated by Semuwa Aviasi Mandiri - SAM Air was involved in an aviation accident near Elelim, Indonesia in flight. 6 people were killed. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Aircraft registered PK-SMW. Photo: Polda Papua / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A single-engine aircraft crashed into a forested mountainside shortly after departing Elelim Airport, resulting in no survivors.
What happened
On the morning of the accident, a single-engine aircraft departed from Elelim Airport at 10:54 local time. The flight was destined for Poik and was transporting a combination of cargo, two pilots, and four passengers.
Approximately six minutes after takeoff, the plane struck the slope of a mountain covered in trees. The crash occurred at a distance of roughly 12 km from the departure airfield. The force of the impact resulted in the total destruction of the airframe. There were six fatalities recorded, as all individuals on board perished in the accident.
Findings
No specific contributing factors or official conclusions regarding the crash were provided in the initial report.
