Recovery teams are currently on the side of a mountain in South Sulawesi, and the news isn't great. If you’ve been following the updates since yesterday, you know that an ATR 42-500 operated by Indonesia Air Transport basically vanished from radar while trying to land in Makassar.
It's Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. Just a few hours ago, the head of the Makassar Search and Rescue Office, Muhammad Arif Anwar, confirmed that rescuers found the first victim in a ravine near Mount Bulusaraung. The drop is about 200 meters deep. Honestly, the terrain out there is a nightmare for these teams.
The plane was carrying 11 people. We’re talking about eight crew members and three passengers who were officials from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. They were out on a maritime surveillance mission, which is pretty standard for this type of turboprop aircraft in Indonesia.
The Moment Things Went Wrong
The flight started out from Yogyakarta on the island of Java. Everything seemed routine until the approach to Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport. According to reports from the Indonesian Transport Ministry, air traffic control (ATC) noticed the plane wasn't on the right path.
They gave the pilots a few corrections to align with Runway 21. Then, silence.
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The last "blip" on the radar was about 11 nautical miles northeast of the runway. Locals in the Maros district said they heard a loud explosion. Some even saw smoke coming from the National Park area.
Why Mount Bulusaraung is So Dangerous
If you've ever flown through Indonesia, you know the weather can turn in a heartbeat. Yesterday was no different.
- Heavy Fog: Visibility at the summit was reported to be as low as 5 meters. That’s essentially zero.
- Turbulence and Wind: Major Gen. Bangun Nawoko mentioned that strong winds have been battering the search teams all day.
- The Cliffs: This isn't just a hill; it's a jagged, forested slope.
Brig. Gen. Andre Clift Rumbayan, who is leading the specialized search units, said they’ve spotted more bodies along a steep cliff. But spotting them and reaching them are two very different things. The search had to be called off as darkness fell tonight because it's just too risky for the rescuers to move in those conditions.
What We Know About the Aircraft
The plane involved was an ATR 42-500, registration PK-THT. It’s a 25-year-old workhorse. Interestingly, this specific plane actually started its life in Europe with Air Dolomiti back in 2000 before moving to Indonesia Air Transport in 2010.
Just last year, in April 2025, it was reconfigured from a 46-seat passenger plane into a surveillance platform.
The Human Side of the News
While "plane crash" is the headline, the reality is 11 families are waiting for answers. The manifest lists several crew members, including Captain Andy Dahananto and Captain Sukardi. The three passengers—Deden, Ferry, and Yoga—were just doing their jobs monitoring Indonesian waters.
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The South Sulawesi police have already got their Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team ready at the hospital in Makassar. It’s a grim process, but it’s the next step.
What Happens Next?
The investigation will eventually fall to the KNKT (National Transportation Safety Committee). They’ll be looking for the "black boxes"—the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the Flight Data Recorder. Given that the plane was "instructed to correct its approach alignment" right before it went missing, investigators will likely focus on whether there was an instrument failure or if the weather simply overwhelmed the crew.
Rescuers are planning to head back up the climbing routes at dawn on Monday. They’re basically racing against the weather.
Actionable Insights for Travelers and Observers:
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- Monitor Official Channels: In Indonesia, Basarnas (the Search and Rescue Agency) provides the most reliable live updates on recovery efforts.
- Aviation Tracking: If you’re curious about flight paths, sites like FlightRadar24 often keep the "last seen" data live for several days following a major incident.
- Support for Families: Large-scale incidents like this usually involve the airline setting up a family assistance center; if you are related to those on board, contact Indonesia Air Transport's headquarters at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in Jakarta.
The search radius has been set to 1 kilometer around the debris site, and the goal for tomorrow is a full recovery of everyone on board.