JAKARTA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Indonesian Capt Sandhy Permana Alumni, the pilot who died in the military plane crash on Tuesday, was said to be one of the best pilots of the Indonesian Air Force.
Capt Sandhy died after his plane crashed into a residential area in Medan, North Sumatra, killing more than 100 people.
Graduating in 2005 from the Air Force Academy, Capt Sandhy recently received a certificate of merit from the Air Force education commander for his high performance at the Air Force Command School in Jakarta. He left the school as its best graduate last June.
Apart from being the best graduate, Capt Sandhy was also active as the chairman of the school's representative body.
He was stationed in the 32nd squadron at Abdul Rahman Saleh airport in Malang, East Java.
Capt Sandhy also flew hundreds of soldiers in a mission to secure border areas in Papua a few months ago.
Meanwhile, Capt Sandhy's colleague, Capt Riri Setiawan, who was the navigator in the plane, was known as a dedicated and high-spirited soldier.
He is survived by his wife and two children.
"The Indonesia Air Force has lost its best men while they were carrying out their duty," Air Force chief Marshal Agus Supriatna said on Wednesday as quoted by tribunnews.com.
