In brief
A military helicopter crashed during a water‑bombing operation near Tanjung Puting National Park on Nov. 4, Central Kalimantan. Two crew members were confirmed dead, five others were treated for injuries, and one crew member remains missing.
On Wednesday, November 4, an Indonesian Army MI‑17V5 helicopter, registration number HA‑5235, plunged into the mud of Sungai Perlu Village in Seruyan District while preparing to drop water on a forest fire near Telaga Pulang, 200 kilometres west of Tanjung Puting National Park.
The eight‑person crew – Major Dudi, Captain Febri, Captain Suganda, First Lieutenant Hafiz, First Lieutenant Fercis, Chief Sergeant Kadiya, Second Sergeant Sardi, and Private First Class Gilang – were on a round‑trip flight from Kuala Pembuang to the fire site. The helicopter departed at 9:55 a.m. local time, according to the Central Kalimantan Police Public Relations Unit Head, Senior Commissioner Budi Rachmat.
"The helicopter experienced technical problems while collecting water for the forest firefighting operation and crashed in Sungai Perlu Village," Rachmat said, adding that the first victims were rescued from the wreckage at 12:30 p.m.
Visiting the crash scene, Major General Zainul Arifin, commander of the XXII/Tambun Bungai Military District, confirmed that two crew members had died and five were receiving medical treatment at Kuala Pembuang Regional General Hospital in Seruyan District. He also noted that another crew member was missing, and a search and rescue operation had been launched.
"There were eight crews. Five have received medical care and another two were confirmed dead," Arifin told reporters after touring the site and the hospital with Central Kalimantan Governor Agustiar Sabran.
Governor Sabran expressed his condolences over the loss of life, "I express my sincerest condolences to the families of the deceased and hope that the injured crew will recover soon," he said. He also expressed hope that the missing crew could be found.
The helicopter was operating as a water‑bombing platform, a role it had assumed to help counter the rapid spread of the forest fire that had been fanned by the hot, dry conditions prevailing over the park’s surrounding periphery.
The fast‑moving blaze had prompted a coordinated firefighting effort that included aircraft, ground crews, and volunteers. The MI‑17V5, a variant of the Mi-17-1V, is commonly used by the Indonesian Army for logistical support and has been adapted for firefighting missions by fitting a water‑carrying belly box.
Initial reports say the helicopter’s technical fault emerged during the water‑loading phase, when it was suspended over a Pahang‑derived water source near the fire line. Preliminary investigations by the Army’s aviation technical bureau are expected to determine whether a hydraulic failure or an engine fault caused the loss of control.
Search teams are scouring the dense lowland forest that surrounds Sungai Perlu Village, utilising helicopter and ground routes, in a bid to locate the missing crew member before the monsoon season begins. The search also involves satellite imagery to pinpoint the crash site and possible debris drift caused by the helicopter’s impact.
Central Kalimantan’s forest firefighting command has issued a statement urging strict adherence to flight safety protocols on all future missions, and has ordered a temporary suspension of helicopter operations over fire‑prone areas until an investigation can be completed. The incident underscores the dangers faced by military and civilian personnel engaged in the long‑standing struggle to protect Indonesia’s vast peatland and rainforest ecosystems from human‑caused fires.
