Indonesian Air Force Forces Down Australian Plane, Detains Pilots
Indonesian Air Force officials in North Sulawesi forced a civilian aircraft flown by two Australian men to land after the plane entered Indonesian airspace without permission on Wednesday. Pilots Graeme Jacklin and Richard MacLean — both Australian citizens — have been detained by the Indonesian military.
Indonesian Air Force spokesman First Air Marshall Hadi Tjahyanto said the Beechcraft airport was heading to Cebu in the Philippines from Darwin, Australia.
“The aircraft was detected by the national air commando radar and it violated our airspace,” Hadi told Indonesian news portal Vivanews.co.
Hadi said the plane was detected by officers at 8 a.m. on Wednesday while flying over Manado.
Two Sukhoi jet fighters were then scrambled to intercept the aircraft.
The Beechcraft was then forced to land at Manado military air base at 10:30 a.m. Jakarta time.
“After we searched them we found out they didn’t have the necessary documentation,” Heru said, adding that an investigation would continue.
In April another civilian aircraft was forced to land for entering Indonesian airspace. Officers arrested the pilot, 65-year-old Heinz Peier, who was on his way to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
Peier, a Swiss national, was released after obtaining the necessary licenses from the foreign ministry, the transportation ministry and the Indonesian military.
Oct 22, 2014.. Jakarta Globe.