A body has been found among the wreckage of a fisheries surveillance plane that went missing in South Sulawesi province, Indonesia. The discovery was made on Sunday on the fog-covered slopes of a mountain, according to Indonesian authorities. The plane, an ATR 42-500 turboprop owned by Indonesia Air Transport, lost contact with air traffic control on Saturday at approximately 1:30 PM local time in the Maros region.
The aircraft was carrying seven crew members and three passengers, all of whom were staff from Indonesia’s Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry. Initially, authorities reported eight crew members, but this figure was later corrected. The plane was en route to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, from Yogyakarta when it vanished from radar.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Local rescuers discovered the wreckage scattered across various locations around Mount Bulusaraung, approximately 1,500 kilometers northeast of Jakarta. Andi Sultan, an official at South Sulawesi’s rescue agency, reported that helicopter crews spotted debris, including a plane window and large parts suspected to be the fuselage, early Sunday morning. The plane’s tail was also located at the mountain’s base.
Rescue operations have been challenging due to thick fog and the mountainous terrain. On Sunday afternoon, a crash victim’s body was found in a ravine about 200 meters from the mountain’s peak. The status of the remaining nine people on board remains unknown. Muhammad Arif Anwar, head of South Sulawesi’s rescue agency, stated that 1,200 personnel would be deployed to search for the missing individuals.
Investigating the Crash
The cause of the crash has yet to be determined. Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), indicated that the aircraft crashed into the mountain’s slope in what is known as a “controlled flight into terrain.” This suggests that the pilot maintained control of the plane, and the crash was not intentional.
Despite initial findings, the KNKT has not responded to requests for further comment. Aviation experts note that most accidents result from a combination of factors. The ATR 42-500, a regional turboprop aircraft manufactured by Franco-Italian planemaker ATR, is designed to carry between 42 and 50 passengers.
“We call this controlled flight into terrain. The pilot was able to control the plane, and the crash was not intentional,” said Soerjanto Tjahjono.
Historical Context and Safety Concerns
This incident marks the first fatal crash involving an ATR 42 in Indonesia in over a decade. The last occurred in 2015 when a Trigana Air Service ATR 42-300 crashed into a mountainside in Papua, resulting in 54 fatalities. The current crash underscores ongoing concerns about aviation safety in Indonesia, a nation with a complex geography that poses unique challenges for air travel.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 reported that the surveillance plane was flying at a low altitude over the ocean, limiting its tracking coverage. The last signal was received at 0420 GMT, approximately 20 kilometers northeast of Makassar airport.
Implications and Next Steps
The crash has prompted a renewed focus on aviation safety standards in Indonesia, particularly for regional flights operating in challenging environments. As the investigation continues, the priority remains the recovery of the remaining victims and a thorough examination of the crash’s causes.
Moving forward, the findings from this investigation could lead to changes in regulations or operational procedures to enhance safety in similar flights. The aviation community and the Indonesian government will likely scrutinize these findings closely to prevent future tragedies.
