On May 4, 1981, a GAF Nomad N.22 (registration P2-011) operated by Papua New Guinea Defence Force was involved in an aviation accident near Bewani, Papua New Guinea in flight. 2 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft crashed due to encountering adverse weather conditions while flying through the Bewani Mountain Range. 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.
A military transport aircraft crashed in the Bewani Mountain Range while returning to Vanimo, resulting in the deaths of both crew members.
What happened
During a mission involving the transport of personnel, an aircraft was traveling from Imonda toward Vanimo. The flight was part of a deployment where a group of soldiers had been delivered to the Irian Jaya border for patrol duties. While navigating the route back to base, the aircraft encountered severe weather conditions.
As the flight progressed through the degraded visibility and turbulent environment, the aircraft type crashed within the Bewani Mountain Range. There were no survivors of the impact. The incident resulted in 2 fatalities, involving both members of the flight crew.
Findings
The primary factor contributing to the accident was the encounter with poor weather conditions during the transit phase of the flight.
Probable cause
The aircraft crashed due to encountering adverse weather conditions while flying through the Bewani Mountain Range.