Indonesia finds 1 body, wreckage from missing surveillance plane

Indonesian authorities located the wreckage of a missing fisheries surveillance plane in South Sulawesi province on Sunday. The ATR 42-500 turboprop, owned by Indonesia Air Transport and chartered by the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, lost contact on Saturday around the Maros region. The plane was carrying seven crew members and three ministry staff passengers on a flight from Yogyakarta to Makassar. The wreckage was found on Mount Bulusaraung, and rescuers recovered the body of one of the ten people on board. The plane was conducting air surveillance on fisheries when it disappeared.

On Sunday, January 18, 2026, Indonesian rescuers located wreckage from a missing plane that disappeared on Saturday while flying from Yogyakarta to Makassar. The turboprop ATR 42-500, operated by Indonesia Air Transport, vanished from radar near Mount Bulusaraung in South Sulawesi province. The plane carried 11 people: eight crew members and three passengers from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry conducting maritime surveillance. A rescue team aboard an air force helicopter spotted a window, leading ground teams to the main fuselage and tail on a steep slope. Search and rescue efforts are now focused on locating the victims, though strong winds, fog, and terrain are hindering progress.

Indonesian authorities are searching for an Indonesia Air Transport plane that went missing on January 17, 2026, with at least 10 people on board. The ATR 42-500 aircraft, chartered by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, lost contact with air traffic control around 1:30 pm (0530 GMT) near the Maros region in South Sulawesi province while en route to Makassar from Yogyakarta Province. Three employees from the fisheries ministry were confirmed to be on board. The search and rescue agency suspects the plane may have crashed near Mount Bulusaraung, and approximately 400 personnel have been deployed to the area, though bad weather is hindering efforts. The cause of the incident is currently unknown.

An Indonesian regional passenger plane carrying 11 people went missing on Saturday while flying from Yogyakarta to South Sulawesi. The turboprop ATR 42-500, operated by Indonesia Air Transport, lost contact with ground control near a mountainous region between Java and Sulawesi island. The plane was last tracked at 1.17pm in the Leang-Leang area of Maros, South Sulawesi province. A search and rescue operation is underway, involving multiple teams, air force helicopters, drones, and ground units. Hikers on Mount Bulusaraung reported finding debris, including a logo consistent with Indonesia Air Transport, and small fires, which are being investigated by rescue teams.