A video has surfaced on social media capturing the moment people started pulling a DHC-6 Twin Otter, registered as PK-SMS, from the mud after the regional turboprop suffered a runway excursion at Beoga Airport, Papua in Western New Guinea, Indonesia.
The SAM Air aircraft landed at the airport and skidded off the runway. The video footage shows a large group of locals successfully pulling the aircraft out of the grass off the landing strip. According to The Papua Journal, the DHC-6’s captain spotted a light cloud at the end of the runway and, in order to avoid it, he tried to land in the middle of Beoga Airport. However, the turboprop hit a tree and, as a result of the incident, a front tire burst, and the right-hand wing was heavily damaged.
Per FlightAware data, the DHC-6 Twin Otter departed Timika Airport (TIM), also known as Mozes Kilangin International Airport (TIM), on January 23, 2023, at 06:51 AM local time (UTC +9). The flight tracking website has not showcased any activity about the aircraft since the incident. The SAM Air turboprop was carrying 11 passengers and three crew members, including two pilots and a technician. No injuries were reported to the passengers or the crew, The Papua Journal noted.
Meanwhile, the Twin Otter World Database shows the aircraft has had an illustrious flying history since it was built in 1980. In 2007, the DHC-6 collided with rocks and was stuck in a ditch near Mulia, Bali, Indonesia. In January 2015, it became stuck in a ditch once again, while three years later, in 2018, it was hit by gunfire after it landed in Kenyam, Highland Papua, Indonesia.