A police transport plane crashed into the sea Tuesday while trying to land in the eastern province of Papua, killing 15 people and injuring three, a police spokesman said.
The CASA 212 Aviocar was carrying 18 passengers and crew when it went down while approaching the airfield, said national police spokesman Brig. Gen. Soenarko Danuarwanto.
The pilot and three police officers were among the dead, he said. The other eleven fatalities were civilian passengers.
According to witnesses, one of the plane's engines failed as it was making its final approach at the airport, 150 miles northeast of Jayapura, the provincial capital of Papua.
