August 20 3:33 pm CDT Update:

Both the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder have been located and sent to Jakarta for analysis. They should help bring light on why the Trigana Air Service aircraft cashed into a mountainous area on a short flight over Papua. The scene of the crash has been described as horrible, with the aircraft totally obliterated and evident burn marks on debris. No one survived the fatal crash.

The aircraft lost contact with controllers on August 16 about half way through its flight. Scroll down to read the full story.

August 18 7:61 am CDT Update:

After a trek through hazardous terrain, the missing Trigana Air Service ATR 42 had been located.

Officials say there are bodies and debris spread across trees in a mountainous area. None of the 54 people on board survived the crash.

Helicopters will be sent to help with the clean up. No cause has yet been announced.

All the rest of the details can be found in our coverage below.

We will update this article with more information as it becomes available. Be sure to follow @Fandagear to get notified when the updates come out.

August 17 7:11 am CDT Update:

Ground teams that were sent to verify the debris found had to stop due to bad weather. Two aircraft did spot possible debris in a mountainous area, but weather hampered the ground teams of being able to see if the pieces are from that missing Trigana Air Service ART 42.

All the rest of the details can be found in our coverage below.

August 16 10:19 pm CDT Update:

Searchers believe that what they have found are the debris from the missing plane. Currently, extra air search teams are being sent, but ground crews have not yet been able to reach the debris.

Checkout all of our coverage below.

August 16 10:05 pm CDT Update:

Possible debris from the missing aircaft have been spotted by a search aircraft. More teams are being sent to the area to verify these new findings. It’s been less than a day since the Trigana Air Service ATR 42 lost contact over Paupua.

Be sure to check out the main story below.

We will update this article with more information as it becomes available. Be sure to follow @Fandagear to get notified when the updates come out.

August 16 5:56 pm CDT Update:

As morning daws over the Paupa Providence, search crews are sending aircraft to see whether the claims made by villagers that the aircraft crashed into a mountain are true.

Be sure to check out the main story below.

We will update this article with more information as it becomes available. Be sure to follow @Fandagear to get notified when the updates come out.

Original Story (August 16 10:25am CDT):

A Trigana Air Service lost contact with controllers on a short flight in the Papua providence of Indonesia. The flight departed Sentani Airport in Jayapura at 2:22 p.m and was supposed to land in Oksibil at about 3:16 p.m.. The aircraft lost contact with ATC at around 2:55 p.m.. There was no distress call made from the plane.

An initial search was called off because of nightfall and dangerous terrain. There have been reports that villagers saw the plane crash into a mountain, but officials have not confirmed that.

The aircraft was a ATR 42 carrying 44 adult passengers, five children and five crew members. It is important to note that Trigana Air Service was banned from flying in European airspace, “because they are found to be unsafe and/or they are not sufficiently overseen by their authorities,” according to the European Commission.

We will update this article with more information as it becomes available. Be sure to follow @Fandagear to get notified when the updates come out.

The missing aircraft as pictured in 2007:

Photo Credit: Erwin van Hassel