An aircraft belonging to Indonesia Air Transport (IAT) was reported to have disappeared from radar while flying from Yogyakarta to Makassar this afternoon. The turboprop aircraft left Yogyakarta and was headed for the city of Makassar on Sulawesi island.
Indonesian news portal Antara News reported that the ATR 42-500 aircraft with registration number PK-THT was carrying 11 people, including eight crew members and three passengers.
Shortly after the aircraft had received instructions from air traffic control about the landing, radio contact was broken. Air traffic control then sounded the alarm.
The plane was leased by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. On board were eight airline employees and three passengers.
A spokesman for the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) confirmed that the aircraft lost contact with the air traffic control (ATC) tower while crossing the Leang-Leang airspace in the Maros district, South Sulawesi province.
Head of the Basarnas Makassar Operations Section, Andi Sultan, said his agency received an emergency report about the incident before mobilizing rescue teams to the last location where the aircraft was spotted.
"Based on initial coordinates provided by AirNav Indonesia, the plane is believed to be in the vicinity of the limestone mountains in the Maros district. "We have sent an initial team of 20 rescuers to the location to begin assessment and search operations," he said in a media statement, today.
"The ATR 42-500 aircraft made in 2000 with serial number 611 carried out a flight from Adi Sucipto Airport Yogyakarta to Sultan Hasanuddin Airport Makassar, with Pilot in Command Capt. Andy Dahananto," said Lukman in an official statement.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Aviation of the Indonesian Ministry of Transport, Lukman Laisa, announced that the emergency phase 'DETRESFA' was activated immediately after communication with the plane was completely lost.
"A crisis center has been opened at the Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, Makassar to coordinate information and assist the next of kin of the victims involved."
"The search operation is now being intensified with the involvement of drone units and assistance from the Indonesian National Air Force (TNI AU) Rapid Response Team (Pasgat)," he said.
To date, the fate of all 11 victims is still unknown and search and rescue (SAR) operations are being actively carried out in the identified areas despite facing challenging terrain.
Initial local media reports also mentioned that residents around the Gunung Bulusaraung area claimed to have heard a loud bang, but authorities are still in the process of confirming the connection between the information and the missing plane.
The search for the Indonesia Air Transport (IAT) aircraft is currently focused in the Gunung Bulusaraung area, specifically at the border between Maros Regency and Pangkep, South Sulawesi.
As many as 500 joint SAR personnel have been deployed. The main challenge in the field is the rugged terrain, so the team must travel on foot and requires considerable time to reach the suspected crash site.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) confirmed that three passengers of the ATR 42-500 aircraft belonging to Indonesia Air Transport (IAT) who were reported to have lost contact in the Maros Regency area, South Sulawesi, were KKP employees.
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