A regional turboprop aircraft, operated by Indonesia Air Transport and chartered by the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, crashed on Saturday, November 16, while approaching Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The ATR 42-500 aircraft, carrying seven crew members and three ministry staff, lost contact with air traffic control in a mountainous region. Rescue teams later located the wreckage near Mount Bulusaraung, and all 10 individuals on board have been recovered deceased.
Incident Details
The aircraft departed from Yogyakarta, Java, bound for Makassar, the capital city of South Sulawesi. Communication with air traffic control ceased at approximately 1:30 PM local time (0530 GMT/0517 GMT) on Saturday. The plane was last tracked in the Leang-Leang area of Maros, a mountainous district within South Sulawesi province. The loss of contact occurred shortly after air traffic control instructed the aircraft to correct its approach alignment, leading controllers to declare an emergency distress phase.
The three government employees from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry were on board for an airborne maritime surveillance mission, supporting Indonesia's fisheries management operations.
Search and Rescue Operations
Following the loss of contact, multiple search and rescue teams, supported by air force helicopters, drones, ground units, police, and volunteers, were deployed. Early reports from hikers on Mount Bulusaraung indicated sightings of scattered debris, a logo consistent with Indonesia Air Transport, and small fires, which were subsequently verified by rescue teams.
The Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) located the wreckage on Sunday morning across various spots around Mount Bulusaraung. Debris, including parts of the plane's window and fuselage, was observed. The first victim's body was recovered on Sunday afternoon in a ravine approximately 200 meters from Mount Bulusaraung's peak. The remaining nine bodies were recovered by early Friday, confirming all 10 individuals on board had been found.
Search and recovery efforts were complicated by the steep and challenging terrain within Bulusaraung National Park, as well as adverse weather conditions including thick fog and clouds, with visibility reported at approximately 5 miles (8 kilometers) at the time of the incident. Approximately 1,200 personnel were mobilized for the search.
Investigation and Background
The head of Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), Soerjanto Tjahjono, stated that initial findings indicate the aircraft crashed into the mountain's slope. He described this as "controlled flight into terrain," suggesting the pilot maintained control of the plane, and the crash was not intentional. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The black box from the aircraft has been recovered, and the KNKT is currently investigating its contents. ATR, the Franco-Italian manufacturer of the 42-500 series aircraft, confirmed it had been informed of the incident and stated its specialists are supporting the investigation led by Indonesian authorities.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation with a population exceeding 280 million, relies heavily on air transport to connect its numerous islands. The country has a documented history of aviation safety incidents. This incident marks Indonesia's first fatal crash involving an ATR 42 aircraft in over a decade. Previous aviation accidents include an ATR 42-300 crash in Indonesia's Papua region in 2015, which resulted in 54 fatalities, and a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 jet crash in 2021, killing 62 people.