Flight Details
On 12 May 2020, a Quest Kodiak 100 aircraft registered as PK-MEC was operated by Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) as a cargo flight from Sentani Airport (WAJJ) in Jayapura, Papua, with an intended destination of Mamit Airstrip (WAVS) in Tolikara, Papua. The aircraft carried 694 kilograms of cargo, and the pilot was the sole occupant.
The Accident
At 0622 local time (2122 UTC), the pilot requested clearance from Sentani Tower to start the engine and proceed to Mamit via radial 241° at an intended cruising altitude of 10,000 feet. The controller approved the request. At 0627 LT, in daylight conditions, the aircraft departed from runway 12. Shortly after, Sentani Tower instructed the pilot to contact Jayapura Radar. At 0628 LT, the pilot declared a MAYDAY on the Jayapura Radar frequency. The Radar controller attempted to contact the pilot four times but received no response.
Aftermath
At 0630 LT, the Jayapura Radar controller asked the pilot of another aircraft, PK-RCE, which had just taken off from Sentani, to visually locate PK-MEC. Minutes later, the pilot of PK-RCE reported seeing debris on Sentani Lake and observed boats moving toward the debris site. The pilot of PK-RCE presumed that PK-MEC had crashed into the lake. The pilot of PK-MEC was fatally injured.
Recovery
The wreckage was recovered, including the aircraft's Global Positioning System (GPS) data card.