A domestic flight operated by Indonesia Air Transport is feared to have crashed after mysteriously losing contact with air traffic control, with all 11 people on board presumed dead, according to emergency officials coordinating search and rescue operations.
The turboprop aircraft, identified as an ATR 42-500, departed Yogyakarta on Saturday for a scheduled two-hour flight to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi. However, communication with the plane was abruptly lost when it was approximately 12 miles from its destination airport, triggering immediate concern and emergency response protocols.
Authorities confirmed that the aircraft was carrying a total of 11 people, including three passengers and eight crew members. Shortly after contact was lost, aviation officials relayed the plane’s last known coordinates to search and rescue teams, who were dispatched to the suspected crash zone.
Andi Sultan, Head of Operations at the Makassar office of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), said multiple teams had been deployed to the Leang-Leang area, where the aircraft is believed to have gone down. According to him, at least 60 trained search and rescue personnel are involved in the operation.
“We have moved toward the location based on the coordinates provided by AirNav,” Sultan said. “To detect and locate the ATR 42-500 aircraft, the first team has deployed five personnel for initial assessment, followed by a second team of 15 responders. A third team of 40 specialists with advanced search and rescue expertise is also being dispatched.”
The search operation is being conducted across challenging terrain, with responders racing against time to locate the wreckage and determine the fate of those onboard. As of the time of reporting, no survivors or debris had been officially confirmed, and authorities say investigations will commence once the aircraft is located.
The incident has sparked renewed concerns about aviation safety in the region, as families of the passengers and crew await official confirmation while rescue efforts continue.
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