Wreckage Found: What Caused Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42-500 to Vanish?

ByUjjwal Sukhwani•January 18, 2026 at 06:29 AM•2 min read

SAFETY

Wreckage Found: What Caused Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42-500 to Vanish?

Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42-500 wreckage was found on Mount Bulusaraung, South Sulawesi, after losing contact with 11 people aboard near Makassar.

Key Points

1Wreckage of the Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42-500 was located on Mount Bulusaraung on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
2The aircraft was carrying 11 people (8 crew, 3 passengers) on a chartered maritime surveillance mission.
3Contact was lost after Air Traffic Control instructed the crew to correct the approach path to Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport.
4The National Transportation Safety Committee is investigating the cause, with attention to the possibility of a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).

Indonesian authorities located the wreckage of an Indonesia Air Transport aircraft. The plane went missing Saturday, January 17, 2026. It was an ATR 42-500 turboprop carrying 11 people. The aircraft vanished from radar while approaching the mountainous region of South Sulawesi.

Search and Rescue Update

The South Sulawesi plane was on a domestic flight. It traveled from Yogyakarta to Makassar, the provincial capital. The destination was Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport. The aircraft was chartered for a maritime surveillance mission. It carried eight crew members and three government passengers. The passengers were from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry.

Search teams found debris on Sunday, January 18. The wreckage was located on the slopes of Mount Bulusaraung. Hikers first reported finding scattered debris and small fires. Rescue teams later confirmed finding the fuselage and tail sections. The steep terrain and thick fog have complicated search efforts. Rescuers are now focusing on locating the 11 people on board.

Investigation and Approach Details

The aircraft lost contact around 1:17 p.m. local time. This occurred near the Leang-Leang area of Maros. Officials said the plane disappeared shortly after receiving instructions. Air traffic control (ATC) told the crew to correct its Makassar approach alignment. The aircraft was identified as not being on the prescribed approach path. Radio contact was lost following the final ATC instructions. Controllers subsequently declared a Distress Phase emergency (DETRESFA).

The National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) will lead the investigation. The cause of the ATR 42-500 crash remains unclear. Aviation observers have raised the possibility of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). This is a risk in mountainous regions with unpredictable weather. The incident highlights ongoing challenges in aviation safety Indonesia.

The ATR 42-500 is a regional turboprop manufactured by Franco-Italian firm ATR.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) oversees all civil aviation regulations in Indonesia.
The aircraft's last known position was in a region known for steep karst mountain terrain.

Regulators like the Directorate General of Civil Aviation emphasize vigilance. Flight crews must exercise caution with local weather dynamics. This is especially true around the approach corridor to Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport. The loss of the aircraft is a significant event. It underscores the operational complexities of regional air travel in the Indonesian archipelago.

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