Indonesian authorities find wreckage of missing plane with 11 people on board

Plane is missing in Indonesia Reproduction/X Indonesian authorities reported this Sunday (18) that they located the wreckage of a fishing surveillance plane that had disappeared in the province of South Sulawesi, near a mountain covered in fog. Rescue teams are still searching for the 11 people on board. ✅ Follow g1’s international news channel on WhatsApp The ATR 42-500 turboprop, belonging to the aviation group Indonesia Air Transport, lost contact with air traffic control on Saturday (17), at around 1:30 pm local time (3 am in Brasília), in the Maros region, in South Sulawesi. There were eight crew members and three passengers on board the aircraft, which had been chartered by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Indonesia Fisheries to carry out aerial surveillance of fishing activity. The passengers were ministry employees. The head of the South Sulawesi rescue agency, Muhammad Arif Anwar, told local television that, after locating the wreckage, rescuers would mobilize around 1,200 professionals to search for the missing passengers and crew. “Our priority is to look for the victims, and we hope there are some that we can evacuate alive,” he said. See the trending videos on g1 See the trending videos on g1 The aircraft was heading to Makassar, capital of South Sulawesi, after taking off from Yogyakarta province, when contact was lost. On Sunday morning (18), rescue teams found wreckage at different points around Mount Bulusaraung, in the Maros region, said Andi Sultan, an official at the local rescue agency. The mountain is about 1,500 km (930 miles) northeast of the country’s capital, Jakarta. “Our helicopter teams spotted debris from the plane window at 7:46 am,” Sultan told reporters. “And at around 7:49 am, we discovered large parts of the aircraft, suspected to be the fuselage,” he said, adding that the tail of the plane was also seen at the bottom of the mountainside. According to Sultan, teams have been sent to the locations where the wreckage was found, but the search is being hampered by intense fog and mountainous terrain. Images released by the rescue agency show a window of the aircraft scattered across the mountain, amid heavy fog and intense winds. Indonesia’s National Transport Safety Committee will lead the investigation into the accident. The cause is still unknown, and experts say that most plane accidents occur due to a combination of factors. The ATR 42-500 is a turboprop regional aircraft manufactured by the French-Italian aeronautical construction company ATR, with capacity to carry between 42 and 50 passengers. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 reported on the social network X that the plane was flying over the ocean at low altitude, which limited monitoring coverage. The last signal was received at 04:20 GMT, about 20 km northeast of Makassar airport. Aircraft was not on the correct trajectory According to local press, during the approach to Sultan Hasanuddin Airport, air traffic control identified that the aircraft was not on the correct landing trajectory and instructed the crew to adjust its position. New instructions were issued for the plane to return to its planned course. After the last guidance, communication was lost, which led to the declaration of an emergency phase and the activation of search teams. The last contact occurred shortly after 1 pm local time (3 am in Brasília). According to the Reuters news agency, the plane was piloted by Captain Andy Dahananto. Indonesia Air Transport offers charter plane and helicopter flights for public and private sectors. On social media, the local government reported that it is mobilizing efforts to search for the crew and passengers. “We ask that you continue to pray for the families to find strength and courage, and for everyone to be found soon,” says a statement from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. In a statement, ATR stated that its experts are collaborating with the Indonesian authorities and the airline in investigating the accident. ✈️ The ATR 42-500 is a regional turboprop aircraft designed for efficient operations on short and medium routes, with a standard capacity for 48 passengers in commercial configuration. The aircraft measures approximately 22.67 meters in length, has a wingspan of 24.57 meters and a wing area of ​​54.5 m², dimensions that favor stability and performance at smaller airports. The model reaches a maximum cruising speed of approximately 556 km/h ✈️ According to the company, this model is recognized in the sector for its combination of operational economy, reliability and ability to operate on short runways — a characteristic valued by regional companies. Explosion and smoke on mountainside Muhammad Arif Anwar said teams were directed to a mountainous area of ​​the Maros region, about 42 km from Makassar, based on the last known position of the aircraft. The Air Force, police and volunteers are participating in the searches. Due to its territorial extension and island nature, Indonesia relies heavily on air transport to connect its islands, but the country has a weak record in air safety. In September 2025, a helicopter carrying eight people crashed shortly after taking off from the south of the island of Borneo, with no survivors. Less than two weeks later, four people died when another helicopter crashed on the island of Papua. Videos circulating on social media show possible wreckage, as well as intense fog and personal belongings scattered across the mountainside. So far, however, there is no confirmation that the images are recent or related to the missing plane. With information from news agencies AFP and Reuters.

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