(Photo from AP/THE INDONESIAN NATIONAL SEARCH AND RESCUE AGENCY)
Indonesian authorities have found the wreckage of a patrol plane that lost contact last Saturday. Initially, one deceased body has been recovered, but the status of the other nine people on board remains unknown.
On Sunday, 18 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Indonesian officials announced that authorities discovered the wreckage of a fishing patrol aircraft that had gone missing in South Sulawesi province. The wreckage was found on a fog-covered mountain slope, and one deceased body has been retrieved from the total of 10 people on board.
The turboprop ATR 42-500 aircraft, operated by Indonesia Air Transport group, lost contact with air traffic control around 13:30 local time on Saturday near Maros district in South Sulawesi province while en route from Yogyakarta to Makassar, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi.
This plane was chartered by Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries to conduct aerial fishing patrol missions. On board were seven crew members and three passengers, all ministry officials.
Andi Sultan, an official from South Sulawesi’s rescue office, said that on Sunday morning, local rescue teams found the wreckage scattered across multiple sites around Mount Bulusaraung in Maros district. This mountain is located about 1,500 kilometers northeast of Jakarta, the nation’s capital.
“Our aerial search team spotted fragments of the aircraft window at 07:46,” Sultan said. “By about 07:49, we found a large piece of the aircraft, believed to be part of the fuselage.” The tail section was also found near the foothills.
Sultan added that rescue teams have been dispatched to the crash site, but the search is difficult due to thick fog and mountainous terrain. By Sunday afternoon, authorities found one deceased body in a valley about 200 meters from the summit of Mount Bulusaraung. The fate of the remaining nine people is still unknown.
Muhammad Arif Anwar, head of South Sulawesi’s rescue office, stated that following the discovery of the wreckage, the top priority is to search for survivors. Over 1,200 personnel are being mobilized to search for the missing.
Surjanto Jahyono, chairman of Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), revealed that preliminary investigations suggest the aircraft crashed into a mountainside. The crash is classified as “controlled flight into terrain,” meaning the pilot was still controlling the aircraft and did not intentionally crash.
However, Jahyono emphasized that the investigation team has not yet determined the exact cause of the accident.
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Source:cna