An ATR 400 aircraft traveling from Yogyakarta to Makassar lost communication over Maros Regency in South Sulawesi. The plane, operated by Indonesia Air Transport, was supposed to land at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar but lost contact around 1:17 p.m. local time while flying over the Maros area.
Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) in Makassar has deployed search teams to the suspected location based on coordinate data provided by Indonesia’s air navigation service provider, AirNav Indonesia. Andi Sultan, head of operations at Basarnas Makassar office, mentioned that they are en route to the location around the Leang-Leang area in Maros Regency.
Preliminary reports suggest that the aircraft took off from Yogyakarta and was on its way to Makassar when the communication was lost. A joint search-and-rescue effort involving three teams and approximately 25 personnel has been initiated in the area. Maros Police Chief Douglas Mahendrajaya stated that they are verifying reports of the aircraft losing contact in the region.
In a previous incident in September last year, an aircraft crashed in Central Papua province, Indonesia, resulting in the loss of all four individuals on board. The wreckage was found in a canyon in Mimika regency, and the bodies were taken to a hospital in Timika, the regency’s capital. The helicopter crashed during its flight from Ilaga Airport in Puncak regency to Mozes Kilangin Airport in Mimika.
