What happened
On 8 June 2022, a Bell 412 helicopter, registration PK-DAR, operated by PT Derazona Air Service, crashed in a dense rainforest area approximately 24 nautical miles east of Timika, Indonesia. The flight was a non-scheduled mission intended to transport a mother and twin infants from Jila to a hospital in Timika for urgent medical care following a complex birth.
The flight sequence began with a departure from Timika to the Bupati Area helipad, where the crew picked up a medical team consisting of a doctor and two nurses. The helicopter then proceeded to Jila, where it boarded the mother and the newborn twins. During the return leg from Jila to the Bupati Area helipad, the aircraft encountered adverse weather conditions.
Following the impact, the helicopter sustained substantial damage. While most occupants survived the crash, the two pilots sustained serious injuries. A search operation was initiated after fuel endurance concerns led authorities to declare a distress phase. Although the crew and several passengers were initially located, a search for a missing infant continued into the following day, eventually discovering the infant fatally injured approximately 50 meters from the wreckage.
The investigation
The KNKT investigation focused on the flight path, weather conditions, and the circumstances surrounding the aircraft's loss of control. Investigators confirmed that the aircraft held valid certificates of airworthiness and registration, and that the pilots possessed valid licenses and medical certificates. Maintenance logs showed no reported abnormalities prior to the accident.
Because the flight path operated in Class G airspace, the aircraft was not under active air traffic control services; the pilot had been communicating via Traffic Information by Aircraft (TIBA) frequencies. The investigation also reviewed the timeline of the distress declaration and the subsequent search and rescue efforts conducted by Indonesian authorities.