BANJARMASIN, Indonesia — Rescuers have recovered the body of the Indonesian crew member who was missing after a firefighting helicopter crashed into the Barito River in South Kalimantan on Sunday, November 8, bringing the search to a close with one person dead and two pilots rescued alive, according to reports citing the Indonesian news agency ANTARA.
Source: JFeed, citing ANTARA, Nov 8, 2026
This is the outcome of the crash Awaaz Punjab reported earlier on Sunday, when the BNPB-chartered Super Puma went down while scooping water and the Indonesian crew member was still missing, with an 18-person Basarnas rescue team searching the river. Read the earlier report: Firefighting helicopter crashes into Barito River, one crew member missing
The helicopter, a Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma, also known as the H225, with Australian registration VH-HGM, was chartered by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) for a water-bombing mission against forest and land fires, known locally as karhutla. It went down near Tabatan village in the Kuripan district of Barito Kuala Regency while drawing water from the river with a Bambi Bucket, a large container suspended beneath the aircraft. Amateur footage circulated on social media appears to show the helicopter losing control after collecting water and diving into the river; local residents arrived by boat to help the crew.
Source: JFeed, citing ANTARA, Nov 8, 2026
A first report that had to be corrected
BNPB's first report said all three crew members had been rescued safely. The agency then corrected itself: in an official update at 3:16 p.m. western Indonesian time, BNPB said only two crew members had been found alive, and that the third, Indonesian helicopter landing officer Yayan Supyansuri, was still missing. The Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office (Basarnas) had dispatched 18 personnel at 1:10 p.m. central Indonesian time, with a rigid inflatable boat, diving equipment and an Aqua Eye underwater detector; the crash site is about 141 kilometres from its office.
Source: The Kabar News, Nov 8, 2026
Divers recovered Supyansuri's body at 6:08 p.m. local time, and he was pronounced dead, JFeed reported, citing ANTARA, which confirmed that all three crew members had now been located and no one remained missing. A Basarnas closing report said the joint search operation was wrapped up after a debriefing at 6:25 p.m., with all three people aboard evacuated — two alive and one deceased. Supyansuri was 39, according to that closing report.
Source: JFeed, citing ANTARA, Nov 8, 2026
The survivors, and what is still disputed
The two survivors were the aircraft's pilots, rescued alive and taken for medical treatment. Reports name them in slightly different forms — JFeed, citing ANTARA, named the pilot as Hugh Pagi and the co-pilot and flight mechanic as Mick Betteridge, while the Basarnas closing report and an aviation incident record give fuller forms, Hugh Andrew John Page and Michael John Betterridge. BNPB identified both survivors as Australian pilots; another report identified one as a New Zealand citizen and the other as Australian. Awaaz Punjab is reporting the names and nationalities as attributed above, not as settled.
Source: The Kabar News, Nov 8, 2026
What is solid
- The missing Indonesian crewman, helicopter landing officer Yayan Supyansuri, was found dead; divers recovered his body at 6:08 p.m. local time and ANTARA confirmed all three aboard had been located (JFeed/ANTARA)
- BNPB corrected its first report that all three crew were safe; its 3:16 p.m. update said two were alive and Supyansuri was missing (Kabar News)
- The BNPB-chartered Super Puma, registration VH-HGM, crashed in the Barito River near Tabatan village while scooping water for a firefighting run, and the wreck was moved to the riverbank
What is only claimed
- The survivors' exact names and nationalities: reports give Hugh Pagi / Hugh Andrew John Page and Mick / Michael John Betterridge, and describe both as Australian, or one as a New Zealander and one as an Australian
- Why the helicopter lost control after collecting water — BNPB said no cause can be concluded before the official examination
Second fatal firefighting crash in five days
The Barito crash is the second fatal accident in Indonesia's aerial firefighting effort in days. On Wednesday, November 4, a military Mi-17V5 helicopter crashed in Central Kalimantan while on a firefighting mission in the Tanjung Puting National Park area; eight people were aboard, three were killed and five survived, JFeed reported. Indonesia is battling extensive forest fires across Sumatra, Borneo and Papua that have spread smoke to neighbouring countries; the monitoring group Nusantara Atlas estimates the fires have consumed more than 1.9 million hectares, according to the same reporting.
Source: JFeed, citing ANTARA, Nov 8, 2026
BNPB said it will conduct a comprehensive review of aviation safety, covering aircraft maintenance, water-scooping procedures, crew qualifications and weather conditions. "At this time, we cannot conclude the cause of the accident," acting BNPB data and communications chief Berton S.P. Panjaitan said. "We do not want to speculate about the cause before the official examination produces its findings." Ground firefighting teams will continue working in the region while the agency reviews future aircraft deployments, BNPB said.
Source: The Kabar News, Nov 8, 2026
What happens next: investigators from the relevant aviation authorities will examine the recovered helicopter, its maintenance records, flight procedures and the river conditions at the scooping site. Until that examination reports, the cause of Sunday's crash — and whether the safety review changes how water-bombing helicopters operate over Borneo's rivers — remains open.