What happened
On the morning of July 11, 1979, a Garuda Indonesian Airways Fokker F28-1000 airliner, registered as PK-GVE, was operating a domestic route from Palembang to Medan. The aircraft had departed Talang Betutu Airport approximately eighty minutes prior and was cleared for an approach to runway 05 at Polonia International Airport.
During the descent, air traffic control instructed the crew to report their position upon passing the nondirectional beacon (NDB) located at an altitude of 2,500 feet. The pilot reported maintaining a flight level of 9,300 feet, citing unreliable NDB signals. Controllers subsequently advised the flight to maintain that altitude until after passing the beacon. The crew later reported descending to 6,000 feet.
While maneuvering in this phase, the aircraft collided with Mount Sibayak, a volcano rising to 7,200 feet, at an impact altitude of 5,560 feet. There were no survivors among the 4 crew members and 59 passengers on board.
Investigation
The official announcement of the crash was delayed until the following day. Local villagers reached the remote site early in the morning, and a search party was dispatched from Medan. A search and rescue aircraft eventually located the wreckage, confirming total destruction with only fragmented metal pieces and recognizable sections of the wings and tail recovered.
Minister of Transportation Roesmin Noerjadin traveled to Medan to oversee the inquiry. Although initial reports suggested the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder had been found, these claims were not confirmed by experts. On July 14, the Minister stated that bad weather and low clouds were likely contributing factors to the disaster.
Findings
The accident resulted in the loss of all 63 occupants. The airline provided compensation to the victims' families and reimbursed lost baggage at a rate of Rp 2,000 per kilogram. Forty-eight unidentified bodies were interred in a cemetery near Polonia International Airport, joining fifty-seven other crash victims buried there.
The aircraft involved was a 7-year-old Fokker F28-1000 named Mamberamo, which had accumulated over 14,000 flight hours. The crew included Captain AE Lontoh and First Officer Moh Nurtjahjo. This incident preceded another Garuda Fokker F28 crash in 1982.