Two Australians Reported on Board in Cessna Crashes at Batam Airport

Batam. A Cessna plane crashed upon landing at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands province, on Tuesday, reportedly with two Australian crew members on board.

The Cessna 152, which was owned by a local flight school, was engulfed in fire as soon as it hit the runway at the international airport about 10:45 a.m., according to an eye-witness account. Thick smoke and fire was reported after the plane crash-landed.

A reporter from Suara Pembaruan, a sister publication of the Jakarta Globe, said he was among a group of reporters who witnessed the incident while attending a National Press Day celebration.

Airport spokesman Dwi Djoko Wiwoho said there were no casualties in the incident. Details of how the crash occurred are still being investigated.

The plane was owned by Flybest Flight Academy, a pilot training school established in January 2013, according to its website. It employs a number of foreign flight instructors.

Hang Nadim Airport was temporarily closed after the crash and flights from Batam suspended, Dwi told state-run news agency Antara.

Three fire trucks were dispatched to put out the fire.

There were two Australian crew members on board but their condition and identity arenot yet known, a source, who did no wish to be named, told Suara Pembaruan.

 By Jakarta Globe on 02:42 pm Feb 10, 2015