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American pilot killed and plane burned after landing in Indonesia’s Papua region
West Papua National Liberation Army members shot Nicholas F. Gosselin and set his aircraft ablaze after it landed in Highland Papua province on July 2. Indonesian officials confirmed the pilot's death and loss of contact with the plane.
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West Papua National Liberation Army members shot and killed American pilot Nicholas F. Gosselin and burned his civilian plane after it landed in Indonesia's Highland Papua province on July 2. Spokesperson Sebby Sambom said the group fired on the aircraft because it had violated a TPNPB ban on flights in the area.
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He stated the attack served as a message to the U.S. and Indonesian governments for failing to address the root causes of the conflict. Yusuf Sutejo, spokesman for Indonesia's joint police-military operations, said a burnt plane flown by an American pilot with seven Papuan passengers was found at an airport in the Yahukimo region.
The Indonesian Directorate General of Civil Aviation stated preliminary reports indicated the pilot had died. The transportation ministry confirmed the plane had flown from another city in Highland Papua to Yahukimo and that communications were lost after touchdown. TPNPB released footage showing rebels holding guns and axes as they announced the attack and raised the Morning Star flag.
Sambom added that the group is prepared to fire on any civilian aircraft assisting Indonesian military forces with troop or logistics transport. Indonesia designated the TPNPB as terrorists in 2021. The group killed 43 people, 37 of them civilians, in the first half of 2025, according to official sources.
A TPNPB faction attacked Kuala Kencana in 2020, killing a New Zealand contractor. The group kidnapped New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens in February 2023 and released him in September 2024. The U.S. government had $1.
In April 2026, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Indonesian Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin agreed to elevate the bilateral defense agreement to a Major Defense Cooperation Partnership.
