Airlines PNG has grounded its fleet of 12 Dash 8 aircraft after a Dash 8 crashed near the mouth of the Gogol River in Papua New Guinea Thursday night.

Locals successfully rescued the Dash 8 pilots, one is from Australia, and the other, from New Zealand. The locals in the village near the crash site dragged the pilots and two other survivors away from the ill-fated aircraft.

The flight was enroute from Lae to the resort port town of Madang, when it experienced troubles in bad weather about 5.15pm yesterday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of PNG said the crashed plane manage to send out a distress call before the crash.

The two other survivors are believed to be a PNG cabin crew member and an Asian passenger who suffered slight burns.

The plane had 32 people on board when it crashed 20km southeast of Madang, a spokesman for the Accident Investigation Commission said.

Airlines PNG has also quarantined the fuel depot at Laes Nadzab airport where the crashed plane last refuelled.

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