“We call it a CFIT, which indicates that the plane crashed against a hill or mountain slope, causing it to disintegrate upon impact,” KNKT Chief Soerjanto Tjahjono remarked.
Addressing the press at Hasanuddin International Airport in Maros, South Sulawesi, on Sunday (Jan. 18), he clarified that, despite being termed "controlled," such cases are almost always unintentional.
“The aircraft was still under the pilot’s control when it crashed, but that does not mean the pilot intentionally caused the accident,” he affirmed, noting that search and rescue teams have discovered aircraft debris.
Tjahjono stated that the KNKT will continue investigating the fatal accident and refrained from speculating on possible human or technical errors.
The ATR 42-500 aircraft, operated by Indonesia Air Transport (IAT), was declared missing on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 17) while en route from Yogyakarta to Hasanuddin Airport. The crash site near the Bulusaraung hills spans parts of the Maros and Pangkajene and Islands regencies.
A total of 11 people were confirmed on board, including Captain Andi Dahananto, seven crew members, and three passengers identified as employees of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.
The passengers were patrol vessel analyst Ferry Irawan, state asset manager Deden Mulyana, and aerial photo operator Yoga Naufal. On Sunday at approximately 2 p.m. local time, the SAR team discovered an unidentified male body in a ravine.
The search operation, involving the National SAR Agency (Basarnas), police, and military, is ongoing to locate the remaining victims.
Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono expressed his condolences on Saturday night, explaining that the aircraft was part of the ministry’s routine air surveillance program conducted in collaboration with IAT.
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Translator: M. Darwin, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Arie Novarina
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