The following article was published in
The National on Friday 20 December:
Investigations are continuing into the plane crash that claimed the lives of eight people in the mountainous Finisterre Range of the Madang Province last Saturday. Mr Sid O'Toole from the national Transport Department is leading the probe, which began last Tuesday. Mr O'Toole said yesterday that initial investigations have established that the pilot had attempted to take off from Guhu airstrip after a period of heavy rainfall that lasted for more than four hours. "The aircraft failed to become airborne after take off," said Mr O'Toole. He said it nose-dived at the end of the strip and fell into a steep ravine where it crashed about 150 metres down into a cliff face. The theory was pieced together from where the wreckage is located, he said, adding that it will be necessary to recover the remains of the aircraft to get to the bottom of the crash. He said the remains of the aircraft are located on a steep slope and it will take some time before they can piece it together to find out what happened. "A big helicopter is needed to lift the aircraft out of the crash area," he said, adding that he is arranging this through his department. He said it is a large task and it will take time before they can really determine the cause of the crash. In the meantime, Gohu villagers have been engaged to guard the wreckage.
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For info:
Guhu is located approx 35nm SE of Madang, about halfway between Madang and Teptep.
Elevation: 3700'. Slope: 5% (undulating). Length: 600m. Group: 4.