A helicopter conducting a test flight over the waters of Balikpapan Bay in East Kalimantan killed a speedboat passenger on Wednesday, Jakarta Post reported.
The speedboat, which was carrying eight passengers, was on its way from Penajam to Balikpapan at 4 p.m. local time when suddenly the helicopter, piloted by Navy personal Willy, flew too low and hit the speedboat. All but one of the passengers managed to lower their heads in time.
Syamsuddin, 23, died due to internal bleeding caused by the blunt force to his head.
“I was surprised when I heard a loud noise coming from behind. When I turned around, I saw a helicopter hovering so low that I quickly ducked,” said the driver of the boat, Aco, who survived the incident along with the other passengers.
Sepinggan airport authority is now investigating the incident that involved a helicopter owned by the air charter operator PT Whitesky Aviation.