A joint SAR team located debris from the ATR 42-500 plane owned by Indonesia Air Transport in Mount Bulusaraung, on the border of Maros and Pangkep districts, South Sulawesi, on January 18, 2026. One victim's body has been evacuated, while the search for nine others continues amid poor weather. The cause of the crash awaits investigation by KNKT.
The ATR 42-500 aircraft, registration PK-THT, owned by Indonesia Air Transport, lost contact on January 17, 2026, around 13:17 WITA while approaching landing at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar, on a flight from Yogyakarta. The plane carried 11 people, including crew and passengers, and crashed on the slopes of Mount Bulusaraung in the border area of Maros and Pangkajene Kepulauan (Pangkep) districts, South Sulawesi. The approximate coordinates are 04°57’08” south latitude and 119°42’54” east longitude, about 26.49 kilometers from the airport.
On Sunday morning, January 18, 2026, an integrated search operation located plane debris starting at 07:46 WITA via TNI AU helicopters, including a window, fuselage sections, tail, engine, six seats, walls, and emergency stairs. TNI AU drones were deployed from 06:15 WITA. One body was evacuated using rappelling technique from a nearly 90-degree cliff via Balocci in Pangkep due to difficult terrain.
Director General of Civil Aviation at the Ministry of Transportation, Lukman F. Laisa, stated, "The discovery of plane debris was made on Sunday morning through an integrated search operation combining ground and air searches." Evacuation of the remaining nine victims is delayed due to heavy rain, strong winds, thick fog, and visibility of 3-5 meters. A joint SAR team from Basarnas, TNI, Polri, and volunteers—totaling 1,200 personnel—employs four ground search units and two aerial ones. A Topo Bulu post was set up 4.6 kilometers from the site.
Weather at the time of loss of contact was partly cloudy with 8-kilometer visibility, per BMKG, though it worsened during operations. On January 19, 2026, evacuation continues via air with Caracal helicopters using hoist method or ground routes. Besides bodies, plane parts are being recovered for KNKT investigation. One victim is flight attendant Esther Aprilita S. from Bogor, West Java; the DVI team from West Java Police took DNA samples from her family for identification.
Head of Basarnas Makassar, Muhammad Arif Anwar, emphasized the focus on victim search, while National SAR Agency Chief Mohammad Syafii noted evacuation includes bodies and plane 'body parts.' Victim identification occurs at Bayangkara Hospital of South Sulawesi Police with assistance from National Police DVI. The crash cause remains inconclusive and is solely under KNKT authority.
