A Papua separatist group has claimed its fighters have shot a US pilot and set fire to aircraft he was flying for Indonesian airline PT AMA.
On July 2, 2026, a spokesperson for the West Papua Liberation Army, or TPNPB, claimed an American named Nicholas F. Goselin was killed in Yahukimo regency, according to Associated Press.
Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said there were eight people onboard the aircraft, including the pilot. There is so far no indication of the whereabouts of the seven passengers.
Contact was lost with the pilot after he reported landing at an airport in Yahukimo.
Aviation Safety Network reported that the aircraft was a Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo-Porter, registered PK-RC.
The spokesperson for the separatists group said the Pilatus PC-6 had been “frequently dropping Indonesian military personnel and violating the TPNPB’s ultimatum”.
“The shooting of the American pilot is the result of the failure of the Indonesian, U.S. and Dutch governments, as well as the United Nations, to address the root causes of the conflict in Papua, which has persisted for 64 years,” the group said.
Photos of the burnt-out aircraft and the group that claimed responsibility for the violence have appeared on social media.
West Papua Liberation Army and has been designated as a terrorist group by the Indonesian government. The armed group seeks independence for West Papua from Indonesia.