Horrifying Plane Crash Believed to Have Killed All 11 On Board

A small turboprop plane that vanished mid-flight is believed to have crashed in Indonesia, sparking an urgent search-and-rescue operation as officials fear all 11 people on board may have been killed.

The Indonesia Air Transport aircraft took off Saturday from Yogyakarta on what should have been a two-hour flight to Makassar in South Sulawesi. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane when it was roughly 12 miles from its destination.

Soon after contact was lost, footage began circulating that appeared to show wreckage scattered across a mountainside. Authorities believe the debris belongs to the missing turboprop.

Rescue teams were immediately deployed to the area in a desperate search for survivors. Officials confirmed there were three passengers and eight crew members on board.

Andi Sultan, head of operations for Makassar’s Basarnas unit, said multiple teams were sent to the crash site near the Leang-Leang area after coordinates were provided by air navigation officials.

“We have headed to the location of the coordinates around the Leang-Leang area according to the data reported to us,” Sultan said. “To detect and find the ATR 42-500 aircraft, we deployed 60 search and rescue personnel.”

He added that teams were being sent in waves, with an initial assessment group followed by larger teams made up of specialized search-and-rescue experts.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft flying normally before abruptly disappearing from radar at 4:20 a.m. local time.

Indonesia’s Director General of Air Transport, Lukman F. Laisa, said air traffic control noticed the plane was not on its intended approach path and attempted to guide it back.

“The aircraft was identified as not being on the correct approach path, so air traffic control issued redirection instructions,” Laisa said. “After the final instructions were given, communication with the plane was lost.”

Following the loss of contact, air traffic control declared an emergency in accordance with aviation procedures.

Officials explained the aircraft was flying at a low altitude over the ocean, limiting radar coverage. The final signal was received about 12 miles northeast of the airport.

The plane, registered PK-THT, was owned by Indonesia Air Transport, a charter company that provides flights for oil and gas operations as well as government agencies. At the time of the crash, the aircraft was operating under a long-term contract for Indonesia’s Marine and Fisheries Resources Surveillance service.

Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago made up of thousands of islands, relies heavily on air travel to connect remote regions. However, the country has struggled with aviation safety over the years.

Just last year, multiple deadly helicopter crashes were reported, including one in South Kalimantan that killed all eight people on board and another in the remote Papua region that claimed four lives.

As search crews continue working through difficult terrain, officials say their focus remains on locating the wreckage and determining exactly what went wrong in the final moments of the flight.