The plane that never came

The plane that never came

 

Patrick Matbob

Remains of the plane.

14 October 2011

 At around 4pm on Thursday afternoon, a Divine Word University bus headed out to the airport to await the Airlines PNG plane that would arrive from Lae. On the bus were students who were expecting their parents and relatives coming to attend the University’s missioning ceremony.

In the ceremony, graduating students are missioned and a DWU mission cross is given to each one as they leave the University to pursue their chosen careers.  It is a time of thanksgiving especially organized by the graduating students for their parents, sponsors and all those who have supported them in their studies. The event has been held in the last two years.

As the students and other passengers waited for the plane, the town was hit by a sudden violent storm. Strong gusts of wind sprayed the rain all around as people scrambled around looking for shelter. Such storms are not unusual in Madang.

As the hours ticked by, and the scheduled Air Niugini F100 flight landed and took off for Wewak for the night, there was no great apprehension about the delayed flight. Flight delays are experienced daily in PNG.

However, as a DWU staff member recalled, while they were waiting outside, the Air Niugini air traffic officers suddenly rushed out of their offices.

“We were alarmed and thought there was a hold-up,” he said. However, soon they learnt the shocking news that the Airlines PNG flight they were waiting for had crashed. They were told the location was somewhere at Gogol River south of the town.

Stunned by the news, the students’ first reaction was to get to the site to see for themselves. Gogol River is accessible at two points – along the Lae-Madang highway and further into the mountains at Transgogol. The students travelled up as far as the Gogol bridge but could not see anything. They returned eventually to the University.

Soon information started filtering in about the crash. The locals had become familiar with the Airlines PNG aircraft that had recently made Madang airport its home, departing at 6:30am and returning in the afternoons. Madang disaster office, the police, and other relevant officers were eventually informed and they scrambled in the wet evening to ascertain what had happened and how to respond.

As it became clear that the crash site was further south of Madang, attempts were made to access the area by road. However, the storm that afternoon had caused flooding in the fast flowing rivers that run off the rugged Finisterre range and the road became impassable.

Several boats, one from the Madang Resort, the Ramu Nico ferry, and a couple of private vessels left in the night police and rescue people for the site.

The six students whose parents were on the plane gathered outside the Arnold Janssen hall that night anxiously awaiting further news. As the night progressed, conflicting information began coming in from various sources including those who had travelled to the site. It was painful for everyone, especially the students, who kept hoping for some positive news. As it got later, it was apparent that the news was not good.

Just before midnight, a body was brought in from the crash site and those who could, rushed up to the hospital. The security was tight and no one was allowed into the outpatient area where the body was placed. An identification of the body was made and the relatives of the dead person were informed. However, when the relatives inspected the charred remains, they confirmed it was not the person that was identified. The rest of the night was spent in sorrow and grief until morning.

The University Missioning ceremony proceeded as planned but in a somber atmosphere with the victims being remembered in the mass. The papal nuncio (pope’s ambassador) led the mass.

 

At 8:30am today, DWU President Fr Jan Czuba said a special mass for the victims.  Meanwhile, the university has erected a ‘haus krai’ where staff and students are gathering to comfort one another over the tragedy.