Eight people, including three children and the pilot, died when the aircraft in which they were travelling crashed as it approached the Kiunga airstrip in Western Province.

Accident Investigation Commission chief executive officer David Inau told media that of the 11 persons on board, three survived and were airlifted to hospital. Inau said he expected the investigation into the cause of the crash would take about a month.

The Britten Norman Islander aircraft was operated by Sunbird Aviation and was on a flight from Oksapmin.

Since the AIC was established in 2010 funding has remained a challenge, Inau said.

Following the Kiunga crash on April 13, the AIC has once again asked the national government when it intended appropriating funds to it.

In an interview with EMTV, Inau said that the commission has not been adequately funded, which limited it from doing more.

"Funding has been one of our major concerns in performing our roles and function as the accidents investigation commission," he said.

With aviation accidents slowly increasing, and with a level of funding support, Inau was concerned this could halt future investigations.

With regard to the fatal aviation accident in Kiunga, a request of K500,000 is urgently needed to complete the investigation.

"The Chief Secretary's office has been informed. I will follow up. I hope the Prime Minister's office and the government can allocate immediate funding to complete these investigations," Inau said.