On 2 July 2026, members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) reportedly shot and killed American pilot Nicholas F. Goselin after a PT Associated Mission Aviation (AMA) aircraft, registration PK-RCY, landed at Ipdeheik Airstrip in Balinggama Village, Sobaham District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan province. The aircraft was subsequently burned. Seven Papuan passengers on board reportedly survived the attack. The incident resulted in the immediate suspension of PT AMA’s pioneer flight operations in the Wamena and Dekai service areas, disrupting a vital air transport network serving remote communities.
According to aviation information cited by BBC Indonesia, the aircraft departed Wamena Airport at approximately 06.30 am and landed at Balinggama at approximately 06.46 am. After the pilot reported that the aircraft had landed, communication with the airstrip reportedly broke off. Authorities later received emergency information between approximately 09.39 and 09.49 am. Indonesian military forces evacuated the pilot’s body on 3 July 2026, while reporting that all seven passengers were safe.
On the day of the attack, PT AMA formally notified Indonesia’s Directorate of Air Transport that it was suspending all pioneer flight operations in the Wamena and Dekai areas until further notice because of the deteriorating security situation. The suspension affected one of the principal air transport providers serving remote communities in Yahukimo and neighbouring regencies, where air transport is essential for the movement of people, food, medicines and other basic supplies.
TPNPB representatives claimed responsibility for the killing and the burning of the aircraft, alleging that civilian aircraft had been used to transport Indonesian military personnel and logistics into areas considered by TPNPB to be operational zones. The Director of PT AMA, Bob Kayadu, rejected these allegations, stating that AMA does not transport military goods and that cargo can be verified through flight manifests. The Catholic Bishop of Jayapura, Mgr. Yanuarius Theofilus Matopai You, also stated that AMA operates as a church-linked humanitarian aviation service for remote communities and denied that the aircraft was used for military purposes.
The attack forms part of a broader pattern of attacks against civilian aviation in West Papua since 2021. Beyond the immediate loss of life, such attacks disrupt humanitarian access, medical referrals, food distribution, education, church services and government services in mountainous areas where air transport is often the only practical means of reaching remote indigenous communities. Following the attack, PT AMA suspended operations in the affected region because of security concerns.
Deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international humanitarian law. Civilian aircraft are presumed to be civilian objects unless they become military objectives under the applicable rules of international humanitarian law. The publicly available information concerning alleged military use of the aircraft remains disputed. TPNPB alleged that civilian aircraft were transporting Indonesian military personnel and supplies, whereas PT AMA and church representatives categorically denied these allegations and stated that the airline operated exclusively for humanitarian and civilian purposes. These competing claims require an independent and impartial investigation before any conclusions can be drawn.
