List of accidents and incidents involving airliners in Indonesia

1940–1942

• 22 January 1940: a KNILM Lockheed 14-WF62 Super Electra (PK-AFO) lost height after take-off from Denpasar Airport in Bali, struck the water with a wingtip and crashed into the Indian Ocean, killing 8 occupants and leaving only 1 survivor.^[1]
• 28 December 1941: a KNILM Douglas DC-3 "Nandoe" (PK-ALN) was destroyed on the ground by Japanese fighters at Medan, killing all crew members and passengers.^[2]
• 3 March 1942: a KNILM Douglas DC-3-194B (PK-AFV) was attacked by three Japanese Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero aircraft, whom returning to base after attacking Broome in Western Australia, causing the KNILM evacuation flight from Bandung to force landed at Carnot Bay, 90 kilomatres North of Broome, killing three passengers and one crew member (J.F.M. Blaauw, mechanic).^[3]

1961

• 24 January 1961: Garuda Indonesia flight 424, a Douglas C-47A-80-DL (DC-3C) PK-GDI, hit western slope of Mount Burangrang, located around 15 kilometres north from Bandung, killing all 21 occupants aboard. The DC-3 took off from Jakarta for a flight to Bandung, Yogyakarta and Surabaya.^[6]
• 3 February 1961: a Garuda Indonesia Douglas C-47 operating flight 542 went missing while flying over the Java Sea. All 5 crew and 21 passengers on board were believed to have been perished.^[7]

1966

• 1 January 1966: The only known mid air collision in Indonesia, two Garuda Indonesia DC-3 collided in mid air above Palembang, the provincial capital of South Sumatra. A total of 34 people were killed in the disaster.^[8][9]

1967–1968

• 16 February 1967: Garuda Indonesia Airways Flight 708 crashed on landing at Manado, capital of the North Sulawesi province, killing 22 out of 84 passengers.^[10]
• 28 May 1968: a Garuda Indonesia Convair 990 bound for Karachi, Pakistan crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Bombay Santa Cruz airport (now Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport). All 29 people on board (15 passengers and 14 crew members) died. In addition, there was one casualty on the ground.^[11]

1971–1972

• 10 November 1971: Merpati Nusantara Vickers Viscount PK-MVS crashed into the sea 75 miles (121 km) off Sumatra killing all 69 people on board.^[12]
• 5 April 1972: a Merpati Nusantara Vickers Viscount was the subject of an attempted hijacking. The hijacker was killed.^[13]

1973

• 28 February 1973: A Merpati Nusantara Airlines DHC-6 crashed into terrain near Nabire, Papua. All 13 passengers and crews were killed.

1974

• 22 April 1974: Pan Am Flight 812 crashed into a hillside at Grogek, North Bali. The flight was a scheduled international flight from Hong Kong to Sydney, Australia, with an intermediate stop at Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. All of the 96 passengers and 11 crew on board were killed.^[14]
• 7 September 1974: a Garuda Indonesia Fokker F-27 crashed on approach to Tanjung Karang-Branti Airport. The aircraft crashed short of the runway while on approach in limited visibility . The aircraft eventually struck buildings near the runway and caught fire. 33 out of 36 people on board perished.^[15]

1975–1979

• 24 September 1975: Garuda Indonesia Flight 150 crashed on approach to Palembang Airport. The accident, which was attributed to poor weather and fog, killed 25 out of 61 passengers and one person on the ground.^[16]
• 4 November 1976: a Bali International Air Service Fokker F-27 was landing at Banjarmasin Airport when one of its propeller auto-feathered due to crew error. The plane crashed into the side of the runway and burst into flames. 29 out of 38 people on board were killed in the crash.^[17]
• 7 February 1977: a Merpati Nusantara Douglas C-47A PK-NDH was damaged beyond economic repair in a landing accident at Tanjung Santan Airport.^[18]
• 29 March 1977: A Merpati Nusantara DHC-6 Twin Otter stalled and crashed into the woods in Sulawesi after the pilot made an erroneous maneuver to evade an imminent collision with terrain. 13 people out of 23 people on board were killed.^[19]
• 5 October 1978: a Merpati Nusantara Douglas C-47A PK-NDI caught fire whilst parked at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali and was destroyed.^[20]
• 11 July 1979: a Garuda Indonesia Fokker F-28 on a domestic flight hit a volcano on approach to Medan Airport, Indonesia. All 61 people on board were killed.^[21]

1981

• 12 January 1981: a Garuda Indonesia Douglas DC-10-30 PK-GIB overran the runway on landing at Ujung Pandang Airport, Sulawesi, Indonesia and was substantially damaged. The aircraft subsequently returned to service.^[22]
• 28 March 1981: Garuda Indonesia Flight 206, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, PK-GNJ "Woyla", was hijacked on a domestic flight from Palembang to Medan by five heavily armed hijackers. The hijackers diverted the flight to Penang, and then to Bangkok. The hijackers demanded the release of 84 political prisoners in Indonesia. On the third day of the hijacking (31 March 1981) the airplane parked in Bangkok Don Muang International Airport was stormed by Indonesian commandos One of the commandos was shot, probably by his comrades, as was the pilot, also probably by Indonesian commandos. The rest of the hostages were released unharmed. Two of the hijackers surrendered to the Thai commandos, but they were killed by the Indonesian commandos on the plane taking them back to Jakarta.^[23][24]

1982

• 20 March 1982: a Garuda Indonesia Fokker F-28 on a domestic flight overran the runway at Tanjung Karang-Branti Airport in bad weather. The aircraft subsequently burst into flames killing all 27 people on board.^[25]
• 24 June 1982: British Airways Flight 9 from Kuala Lumpur to Perth, flew into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung in West Java while flying over Indian Ocean, resulting in the failure of all four engines. The aircraft was diverted to Jakarta while gliding out the ash cloud. All engines were successfully restarted, although one failed again soon after, allowing the aircraft to land safely at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta.^[26][27]

1984–1987

• 30 December 1984: a Garuda Indonesia DC-9-30 on a domestic flight touched down 1800m down the runway and overran through a ditch, trees and a fence at Ngurah Rai International Airport. The aircraft broke in 3 and caught fire.^[28]
• 4 April 1987: Garuda Indonesia Flight 035 hit a pylon and crashed on approach to Polonia International Airport in bad weather. 24 people were killed.^[29]

1992

• 24 July 1992: Mandala Airlines Flight 660 – PK-RVU, a Vickers Viscount 816, was flying from Makassar, South Sulawesi to Ambon, Maluku. Suddenly a strong gust of wind from above caused the plane to lose altitude rapidly. It slammed into the side of Inahau Hill in Mount Lalaboy. All 70 people on board perished. Investigators concluded the strong wind and pilot error were the cause of the crash.
• 18 October 1992: Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 5601 (Registration PK-MNN) CN-235-10 crashed in Garut while on approach to Bandung, Indonesia, killing all 31 people on board. The plane lost contact with control tower while above Mount Puntang. A search and rescue team found the debris of the plane and no survivors.^[30]

1993

• 1 July 1993, Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 724, a Fokker F28 Friendship, smashed into a hill and impacted on water after the crew lost control of the plane whilst on final approach to Jefman Airport in Sorong, Papua. 41 people were killed.

1994

• 30 November 1994, Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 422, a Fokker F28 overran the runway at Achmad Yani International Airport with no casualties among the 85 on board.^[31]

1995

• 10 January 1995: Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 6715, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6, went missing over the Molo Strait between Flores and Rinca islands. As of November 2016, the aircraft was never found. Search and rescue operation were called off. All 14 people on board were presumed dead.^[32]

1996

• 7 December 1996: Dirgantara Air Service Flight 5940, a CASA C-212 Aviocar was taking off from Banjarmasin when one of its engine suddenly malfunctioned. The pilot had attempted to return to airport. However, it failed to reach its intended destination and crashed into an industrial factory, killing 18 people including 3 on the ground. 1 passenger survived the crash.

1997

• 19 April 1997: Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 106 – The plane was on approach to Buluh Tumbang Airport in Belitung when it suddenly stalled and banked to the left. It then crashed into the ground, killing 15 people. Investigators concluded pilot error was the cause of the accident.
• 17 July 1997: Sempati Air Flight 304 – A Fokker F27 crashed onto a residential area near Bandung after one of its engines caught fire and failed in flight. 28 people were killed.
• 26 September 1997: Garuda Indonesia Flight 152, an Airbus A300B4-220 flying from Jakarta to Medan, crashed in Sibolangit, 18 miles (29 km) short of Medan airport in low visibility, killing all 234 people on board. Airborne searchers and National Search and Rescue Agency later found that the plane crashed 25 km south of Medan killing 234 passengers and crews on board. The plane impacted terrain due to ATC error, and didn't aware that the plane was in close proximity to terrain as there were no visual references due to 1997 Southeast Asian haze. It is the deadliest aviation incident in Indonesia.^[33]
• 19 December 1997: SilkAir Flight 185, operated by a Boeing 737–300 plunged into the Musi River in Sumatra during a routine flight from Jakarta to Singapore, killing all 104 people on board. The US NTSB concluded that the crash resulted from an intentional act by a pilot, most likely the captain. NTSB stated that the plane crashed due to suicide by pilot, while Indonesian investigators couldn't determined the cause as because of lack of evidence. L.A Court suggested that the cause of crash was due to rudder failure.^[34][35]

2000

• 18 November 2000: Dirgantara Air Service Flight 3130 failed to take off from Datah Dawai Airport in East Kalimantan and crashed to nearby forest due to overloading. No passengers or crews were killed however everyone were injured. Investigation found an astonishing fact that the pilot voluntarily endanger its occupants by accepting bribes to let a handful of passengers to get into the already fully loaded aircraft.

2002

• 14 January 2002: Lion Air Flight 386, a Boeing 737–200 crashed on take-off and was written off at Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport. Everyone on board survived.^[36]

Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 after its "successful" ditching, dubbed as "Miracle Flight" in Indonesia

• 16 January 2002: Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 en route from Lombok to Yogyakarta was forced to make an emergency landing in poor weather on the Bengawan Solo River, due to an engine flameout caused by water and hail ingestion. In the process, the cabin floor suddenly ripped, causing two flight attendants to be sucked out. One person, a stewardess, was killed in the accident. The remaining 59 people survived.^[37]

2004

• 7 September 2004: human rights activist Munir Said Thalib was murdered on Garuda Indonesia Flight 974. Garuda's CEO at the time, Indra Setiawan, his deputy Rohainil Aini, and pilot Pollycarpus Priyanto were all convicted of his murder. Garuda was found negligent in refusing to perform an emergency landing and was ordered to pay compensation to Munir's widow. The airline then failed to pay the compensation.^[38]
• 30 November 2004: Lion Air Flight 538, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashed in Surakarta with registration PL-LMN (c/n49189). The plane overrun the runway at Adisumarmo International Airport in bad weather, 25 people died.^[39]

2005

• 5 September 2005: Mandala Airlines Flight 091 Shook violently, stalled and crashed into a residential neighborhood in Medan, North Sumatra. A total of 149 people were killed in Indonesia's deadliest air disaster involving ground fatalities. Flight crew took-off with flaps and slats retracted.

2006

• 11 February 2006: Adam Air Flight 782, registration number PK-KKE (c/n 23773), lost navigational and communications systems twenty minutes into a flight from Jakarta to Makassar, Sulawesi. The plane was subsequently flown into a radar "black spot" and was lost for several hours, eventually making an emergency landing at Tambolaka Airport, Sumba.^[40]
• 4 March 2006: Lion Air Flight 8987, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashed after landing at Juanda International Airport. Reverse thrust was used during landing, although the left thrust reverser was stated to be out of service. This caused the aircraft to veer to the right and skid off the runway, coming to rest about 7,000 feet (2,100 m) from the approach end of the runway. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was badly damaged.^[41]
• 24 December 2006: Lion Air Flight 792, a Boeing 737–400, landed with an incorrect flap configuration and was not aligned with the runway. The plane landed hard and skidded along the runway causing the right main landing gear to detach, the left gear to protrude through the wing and some of the aircraft fuselage to be wrinkled. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was written off.^[42]

2007

• 1 January 2007: ATC lost contact with Adam Air Flight 574 en route from Surabaya (SUB) to Manado (MDC). The aircraft, a Boeing 737–400 with registration code of PK-KKW (c/n 24070), had 96 passengers and 6 crew. On January 10, parts of the aircraft's tail stabilizer were found 300m offshore in Makassar Strait.^[43]

Adam Air Flight 172.

• 21 February 2007: Adam Air Flight 172, a Boeing 737–300 aircraft flying from Jakarta to Surabaya with registration PK-KKV (c/n 27284), had a hard landing at Juanda International Airport. The incident caused the fuselage of the plane to crack and bend at the middle, with the tail of the plane drooping towards the ground. There were no reports of serious injuries from the incident.^[44][45]
• 7 March 2007: Garuda Indonesia Flight 200, a Boeing 737–400 flying from Jakarta to Yogyakarta, bounced three times after suffering a hard landing at Adisucipto International Airport, Yogyakarta. The aircraft overran the runway and crashed onto a nearby embankment. 21 people were killed. Investigators found the pilot did not extend the flaps to the recommended position and was fixated on landing the aircraft immediately, even though it was traveling too fast.^[46]

2008

• 10 March 2008: an Adam Air Boeing 737–400 aircraft flying from Jakarta to Batam with registration PK-KKT (c/n 24353), skidded 75 metres off the end of the runway while landing in Batam. All passengers survived and two were treated for shock. The plane sustained damage to one wing.^[47][48]

2009

The wreckage of Mimika Air Flight 514, seen on the slope of Mt. Gergaji

• 23 February 2009: Lion Air Flight 972, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 landed without the nose gear at Hang Nadim International Airport, Batam.^[49]
• 9 March 2009: Lion Air Flight 793, a McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 (registration PK-LIL) ran off the runway at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. No-one was injured.^[50]
• 17 April 2009; Mimika Air Flight 514, a Pilatus Porter PC-6 crashed upside down into Mount Gergaji, Papua, killing all 11 people on board. Investigators blamed the pilot for the crash.
• 2 August 2009: Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 9760, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 crashed on the island of New Guinea, about 14 miles (23 km) north of Oksibil. All 16 people on board were killed. Pilot error was blamed for the controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).^[51]
• 3 December 2009: a Merpati Nusantara Fokker 100 PK-MJD made an emergency landing at El Tari Airport, Kupang when the left main gear failed to extend. There were no injuries among the passengers and crew.^[52]

2010

Merpati Flight 836 overran the runway in Manokwari, crashed and split into two on April 2010

• 13 April 2010: Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 836 – A Boeing 737 operated by Merpati Airlines overran the runway in Manokwari with 109 people on board. The plane impacted terrain and broke up into three pieces. All 109 people on board survived; 44 people suffered minor injuries.
• 2 November 2010: Lion Air Flight 712, a Boeing 737–400 (registration PK-LIQ) overran the runway on landing at Supadio Airport, Pontianak, coming to rest on its belly and sustaining damage to its nose gear. All 174 passengers and crew evacuated by the emergency slides, with few injuries.^[53]

2011

• 7 May 2011: a Merpati Nusantara Xian MA60 PK-MZK, operating on the Sorong-Kaimana route, crashed onto the sea several meters from Kaimana Airport. The aircraft was on approach to Kaimana in Papua when it impacted water 500 meters from the runway. A total of 25 people were killed in the incident. The Captain chose to abort landing and performed a sharp left turn. It was also revealed that the Captain didn't retract the flaps properly causing the plane to lose altitude rapidly.^[54]
• 29 September 2011: Nusantara Buana Air Flight 823 – As the aircraft flying quite low over Gunung Leuser National Park, the crews encountered a thick cloud. Knowing that there were no other options as there were no gaps between the cloud, thus forcing them to fly into the cloud. But without any visual reference, the plane lose altitude and impacted terrain. All 18 people were killed.
• 3 December 2011, a Merpati Nusantara CASA C-212 Aviocar passenger plane sustained substantial damage in a landing accident at Larat-Watidar Airport, Indonesia. There were three crew members and 19 passengers on board. Two passenger suffered minor injuries.^[55]

2012

A graffiti in Solo regarding the Mount Salak Sukhoi Superjet 100 crash

• 9 May 2012: a Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft crashed on a demonstration flight operating from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia.^[56] The aircraft hit the cliff in Mount Salak, a volcano in the province of West Java, killing all 37 passengers and 8 crew aboard. The plane was on a demonstration flight in Indonesia, carrying potential customers and reporters. But few minutes later the plane impacted Mount Salak with 'no chance of survival'. Final reports indicated that the crews ignored the Terrain Warning System. They thought that the warning system was broken so they turned off the warning system while enganging in a conversation with a potential customer. Unbeknownst to them that the plane was in extreme proximity with terrain.^[57][58]

2013

• 13 April 2013: Lion Air Flight 904, a Boeing 737–800 (registration PK-LKS; c/n 38728) from Bandung to Denpasar with 108 people on board, crashed into the water near Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, while attempting to land. The aircraft’s fuselage broke into two parts. While Indonesian officials reported the aircraft crashed short of the runway, reporters and photographers from Reuters and the Associated Press indicated that the plane overshot the runway. All passengers and crew were evacuated from the aircraft and there were no fatalities.^[59]
• 10 June 2013: a Xian MA60 PK-MZO, operating Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 6517 from Bajawa to Kupang with 50 people on board, crash-landed at Kupang airport in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Twenty five passengers were injured. The aircraft, which has been damaged beyond repair, lay on its belly on the runway with its engines jammed face down into the tarmac and its wings bent forward.^[60]
• 6 August 2013: Lion Air Flight 892, a Boeing 737–800 (registration PK-LKH; c/n 37297) from Makassar to Gorontalo with 117 passengers and crew on board, collided into a cow in Jalaluddin Airport. All people on board survived.^[61]

2014

• 1 February 2014: Lion Air Flight 361, a Boeing 737-900ER (registration PK-LFH; c/n 35710), from Balikpapan Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar/Bali via Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, with 222 passengers and crew on board, landed hard and bounced four times on the runway, causing a tail strike and substantial damage to the plane. There were no casualties, but two passengers were seriously injured and three others had minor injuries.^[62]

Tail section of Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501

• 28 December 2014: The Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 aircraft, operating the route from Surabaya to Singapore, crashed into the Java Sea during bad weather, killing all 155 passengers and seven crew on board. A little crack in solder caused a significant electrical interruption to the rudder travel limiter. The crews tried to fix the problem, but just made it worse as they pulled the circuit breakers off, causing protection system to go off. Subsequent miscommunication later caused the plane to plunge into the Java Sea. Had the crews not pulled the circuit breakers, the flight would have made it through to their destination.^[63]

2015

• 30 June 2015: an Indonesian Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules crashed near a residential neighbourhood with 12 crew and 109 passengers on board shortly after taking off from Medan, killing all aboard, along with 22 people on the ground.^[64]
• 16 August 2015: Trigana Air Service Flight 267 – The ATR 42 was on final leg to Oksibil Airport when it suddenly slammed into Tangok Mountain, few miles from the airport. Search and rescue teams found that none of the 54 people on board survived the crash. Both black boxes were retrieved by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT). A preliminary report indicated the plane hit the terrain instantaneously, indicating a CFIT.

Crash site of Aviastar Flight 7503

• 2 October 2015: Aviastar Flight 7503 – Missing over Sulawesi, SAR team later found that debris have been found in Latimojong Mountain. As they reach the crash site, there were no survivors found. All 10 people on board were killed in the crash.

2016

• 4 April 2016: Batik Air Flight 7703 – While taking off from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, the Boeing 737-800's wingtip collided with a towed TransNusa Air Services ATR 42-600. The wingtips sliced off the ATR 42's left wing and vertical stabilizer, destroying it. The Boeing's left wing then caught fire. All passengers and crew were evacuated unharmed.
• 14 June 2016: A Cessna Citation 208 Grand Caravan belonging to Associated Mission Aviation (AMA) crashed into three traditional honai houses in Papua. Seven people were injured, including the American pilot.