Makassar: Search teams on Saturday combed a rugged stretch of limestone hills in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province, after an aircraft carrying 11 people lost contact with air traffic controllers while approaching the regional hub of Makassar, officials said. The aircraft, an ATR 42-500 turboprop operated by Indonesia Air Transport, was flying from Yogyakarta, on the island of Java, to Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar when communication was abruptly cut, the Transportation Ministry said.
According to Ghana News Agency, the search has focused on the Bantimurung limestone mountains, an area known for steep terrain, dense vegetation and limited ground access. The National Search and Rescue Agency said the plane was carrying eight crew members and three passengers. The Transportation Ministry stated that the aircraft, registered PK-THT and built in 2000, was in the final phase of its flight when controllers noticed it was not aligned with the designated approach path to the runway. Air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions, followed by additional guidance to return the aircraft to the proper landing trajectory, it said in a statement.
Indonesia Air Transport is a domestic carrier that operates charter and cargo services as well as passenger flights. ATR aircraft are widely used across Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where turboprops are often the only practical option for serving remote and regional routes. Indonesia has made improvements in aviation safety over the past decade, but accidents and near misses continue to draw scrutiny.