The tragedy of the Smart Air (Smart Aviation) plane crash on Friday, 8th March 2024, in North Kalimantan finally saw a glimmer of hope. The search and rescue (SAR) team successfully located the crash site on Sunday, 10th March 2024, and managed to evacuate the 29-year-old plane pilot, who was found alive, along with one engineer (35 years old), who unfortunately did not survive.
The Smart Air plane lost contact on Friday, 8th March 2024, at 8:25 AM local time. It departed from Juwata Tarakan International Airport bound for Binuang, Krayan, with an expected arrival time of 9:25 AM local time. The plane was carrying a cargo load weighing 583 kilograms, consisting of 21 essential food items, including sugar, toothpaste, coffee, and candy.
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The rescue team located the purported crash site of the Pilatus Smart Aviation plane in a forested area at coordinates 3°43’45.80″N 115°56’54.45″E on Saturday, 9th March 2024, around 5:21 PM local time. Using the Super Puma H-225M Reg helicopter with the registration number H-2207, they evacuated the two victims to Tarakan. The pilot of the Smart Aeroplane sustained head injuries and was promptly placed on a breathing apparatus.
Sonia, the General Marketing Manager of Smart Air, stated that once the Smart Air pilot is deemed stable and recovers under the care of the medical team, he will be promptly returned to his hometown. “The pilot is currently under observation, as he underwent surgery at Dr. Yusuf Hospital in Tarakan last night on Sunday, 10th March 2024,” Sonia mentioned on Monday, 11th March 2024.
Smart Air expresses gratitude to all members of the joint rescue team for their dedicated efforts in ensuring the safe and smooth evacuation of the two victims. As of now, 10 personnel from the joint SAR team remain at the crash site of the PK-SNE pioneer aircraft, persistently working to locate the black box and flight data recorder (FDR), believed to have become detached from the plane wreckage.
