Chartered Air Indonesia Transport ATR Crashes in Indonesia

‍Makassar — An Air Indonesia Transport (I8), aka Indonesia Air, ATR 42-512 has crashed in a mountainous region of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The aircraft, owned by I8 and chartered to Indonesia’s Marine and Fisheries Resources Surveillance agency, left no survivors among its 8 crew and 3 passengers.

Narrative

The aircraft departed Yogyakarta Adisucipto International Airport (JOG) at 01:09 UTC (08:23 local) and began tracking northeast at 11,000ft for its mission over the Java Sea.

According to the Indonesian Transport Ministry, Makassar Area Terminal Service Center cleared the ATR for an approach to Runway 21 at Sultan Hasanuddin Airport (UPG) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, at 04:23 UTC (11:23 local).

The ministry goes on to say that air traffic control identified that the aircraft was not on the correct approach path and instructed them to adjust their flight path. ATC gave out several more subsequent course corrections before losing contact with the ATR 11 nautical miles north east of the Runway 21 threshold.

Local media reported that a climber found debris at the foot of Mount Bulusaraung.

The METAR at Makassar at the time the aircraft lost radar contact reported good visibility but showers in the vicinity of the airport and cumulonimbus clouds at 1,700ft in the approach path. 

The Aircraft

The aircraft involved was an ATR 42-512 built in 2000, serial number 611, and registered PK-THT. It was delivered new to Air Dolomiti in March 2001, serving the airline for 9 years before joining I8 in 2010.

It flew for the airline for nearly 15 years in a 46-seat all-economy configuration before being reconfigured into an airborne surveillance platform in April 2025.

It had operated under contract with the Marine and Fisheries Resources Surveillance agency since then.

The Airline

Air Indonesia Transport was founded in 1968 to provide charter services to the state-run oil company Pertamina.

Over its 58-year history, the company has operated a total of 34 aircraft, including airliners such as the Fokker F27 and F50, 4 ATR 42s, 2 Beechcraft 1900Ds, and an Airbus A320 for a short time.

The carrier operates a pair of Embraer Legacy 600s, based on the ERJ-135 airframe. Both are in VIP configurations, and one is on a contract with the Natural Synergy Corporation.

Air Indonesia Transport’s main hub is Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport (HLP) in Jakarta, where its headquarters are located. Its parent company is MNC Media, the largest media conglomerate in Indonesia.

This is a developing story.