Narrative:The Twin Otter departed Port Moresby on its weekly cargo flight to Ononge, carrying store goods. Ononge airstrip is located at an elevation of 1792 meters in the rugged Goilala region. It has a single 500-metre runway 16/34 of which, due to the 7% slope, only the runway 34 direction can be used for approach. The airplane reportedly approached Ononge shortly after 10:00. Because of a cloud cover the approach had to be abandoned. The pilot probably decided to head for Yongai airport, located 27 km to the East of Ononge. Then in a mountain valley at an elevation of 2,286 meters above sea level the aircraft collided with trees and crashed. The wreckage was found a day later and only the loadmaster had survived the crash.
Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
Sources:
» The Nation, ABC Online, Aviation Letter 454
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Port Moresby-Jacksons International Airport to Ononge Airport as the crow flies is 95 km (60 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.