ATR 42-300 Went Down Sunday In Mountainous Region

Searchers say they have spotted what may be wreckage from a Trigana Air Service ATR-42-300 that dropped off radar Sunday in a mountainous region of Indonesia.

Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane about 2:55 p.m. local time Sunday afternoon, according to a report from CNN. The plane with 54 Indonesian citizens on board, had departed from Sentani Airport in Jayapura at 2:22 p.m. and was scheduled to land in Oksibil at about 3:16 p.m.

There were reportedly thunderstorms in the region where the plane went down. Villagers near the accident scene in a remote area of Indonesia's eastern Papua province said they saw a passenger plane impact a mountainside.

ATR said in a statement that it acknowledges the reported loss of contact of flight TGN267 Trigana Air Service and is standing by to support the relevant aviation authorities.

This is the third Indonesian aircraft to be involved in an accident in the past eight months, according to CNN. Trigana Air Service is currently banned from operating in Europe due to safety concerns.

(Image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: http://hubud.dephub.go.id/?en