INDOPOSCO.ID – The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) has classified the crash of an ATR 42-500 aircraft that broke apart after striking the slopes of Mount Bulusaraung in Pangkajene and Islands (Pangkep) Regency, South Sulawesi, as a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).
“We classify it as CFIT. The aircraft struck a hill or mountain slope, causing it to break apart and scatter into several pieces due to the impact. Therefore, we categorize this accident as CFIT,” KNKT Chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono told reporters at Hasanuddin International Airport in Maros Regency, Sunday (Jan. 18, 2026).
He explained that the incident was not intentional, as the aircraft was still under the pilot’s control at the time of the crash. However, once the aircraft approached the mountain slope, the collision became unavoidable.
As a result of the severe impact, the aircraft’s fuselage is believed to have struck hard terrain, causing it to disintegrate and scatter into fragments. These fragments were later found by the joint SAR team during the search operation.
“The aircraft was still controllable by the pilot, and it was not an intentional impact with the mountain slope. The aircraft was still under control,” he said.
“CFIT indicates that the aircraft was still controllable or being controlled by the pilot. However, due to certain factors, the debris we found resulted from the aircraft striking a hill or mountain,” he added.
Despite the classification, KNKT is continuing its investigation into the crash. Soerjanto declined to speculate on whether negligence played a role, stressing that the cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Earlier, the ATR 42-500 aircraft operated by Indonesia Air Transport (IAT) was reported to have lost contact in the Bulusaraung mountainous area along the Maros Pangkep border in South Sulawesi while approaching Hasanuddin International Airport on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 17, 2026).
The aircraft was carrying 10 people seven crew members and three passengers. The passengers were identified as employees of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP).
They were Ferry Irawan, a junior administrator (Grade I) serving as a fisheries surveillance vessel analyst; Deden Mulyana, a junior administrator (Grade I) responsible for state asset management; and Yoga Naufal, an aerial photography operator. The seven crew members included the pilot, Captain Andi Dahananto.
“We express our deep concern. We are truly saddened and extend our prayers for the passengers and crew,” KKP Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said during a press conference in Jakarta on Saturday night (Jan. 17, 2026), as quoted by Antara.
Trenggono added that the ministry routinely conducts aerial surveillance missions in cooperation with IAT as the aircraft operator.
So far, the joint SAR team has recovered several aircraft fragments as well as one unidentified body at the crash site during the ongoing search and rescue operation. (aro)
