Nicholas F. Goselin was killed after landing a small aircraft at a remote airstrip in Indonesia’s Papua Highlands.
JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Indonesian security forces recovered the body of an American pilot Friday after separatist fighters killed him and burned his small aircraft at a remote airstrip in the restive Papua region, military officials said.
Nicholas F. Goselin, a pilot for Indonesian aviation company PT AMA, was shot dead Thursday after landing at the Ipdeheik airstrip in Balinggama village, Yahukimo regency, in Papua Highlands. The attack drew new attention to a long-running separatist conflict in Indonesia’s easternmost region, where armed groups have increasingly targeted aircraft serving remote mountain communities.
Brig. Gen. Riyanto, deputy commander of the Habema Operations Command, said the recovery operation involved 10 personnel and began after troops secured the airstrip. The aircraft had carried one pilot and seven passengers, according to Indonesia’s civil aviation authority. Officials said contact with the airstrip was lost shortly after Goselin reported that the plane had landed. Indonesian military officials said the passengers, all Indigenous Papuan civilians, survived and returned home. Three of the passengers were women. There was no immediate public comment from the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta.
The West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, claimed responsibility for the killing in a video distributed to media. Fighters armed with guns and axes appeared with the Morning Star flag, a symbol used by Papuan independence supporters. Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the group, said the aircraft had violated a rebel ban on flights into areas the group considers its operational zones. Sambom said the group believed civilian aircraft were being used to support Indonesian military operations in Papua’s remote interior. Indonesian military officials denied that Goselin’s plane was carrying troops or military logistics.
The attack took place in one of Indonesia’s most difficult regions to reach. Mountain airstrips in Papua often serve as the main link between isolated villages and larger towns. Aircraft operated by companies such as PT AMA carry people and supplies, including food, fuel and mail, across terrain where roads are limited or unsafe. Those same flights have become a focus of the separatist conflict. Rebel groups have accused civilian aviation companies of helping Indonesian forces, while officials say the flights are a lifeline for local communities and are not military targets.
The conflict in Papua dates back decades. The region, a former Dutch colony, was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a United Nations-backed vote that many Papuans and rights groups have long criticized. Since then, armed separatists have fought Indonesian rule, while Jakarta has kept a strong security presence in the region. Violence has risen in recent years, with rebels, soldiers, police and civilians killed. The latest attack follows earlier cases involving foreign pilots, including the 2023 abduction of New Zealand pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens, who was freed in September 2024, and the 2024 killing of New Zealand pilot Glen Malcolm Conning in Mimika district.
Indonesian officials said security forces were pursuing those responsible for Goselin’s killing. The military said the recovery team evacuated his body after securing the area, but officials did not immediately release further details on where the body would be taken before any transfer to U.S. representatives. Sambom called for international negotiations over Papua and said the group would target other aircraft it believed were helping military operations. Officials did not announce charges by Friday, and it was not immediately clear whether Indonesian police or military investigators had reached the burned aircraft for a full forensic review.
The scene at the remote airstrip underscored the mix of civilian need and armed conflict in Papua’s highlands. Small planes remain central to life in the region, where villages can be cut off by weather, terrain and fighting. The burned aircraft, the loss of radio contact and the rapid troop response all pointed to the dangers faced by pilots who fly in and out of isolated strips. Indonesian authorities described the passengers as civilians, while the rebel group framed the flight as part of a wider conflict with Jakarta.
As of Sunday, July 5, Indonesian officials had confirmed Goselin’s body was recovered and the passengers were safe. The next step is the formal handling of his remains and the continuing search for those accused in the attack.
Author note: Last updated July 5, 2026.