History of Flight
Nusantara Buana Air (NBA) Flight 823 was a non-scheduled domestic passenger flight from Polonia International Airport, Medan, to Alas Leuser Airport, Kutacane, Indonesia. The aircraft departed Medan at 07:28 local time (00:28 UTC) with an estimated arrival at 00:58 UTC. On board were two pilots and 16 passengers, including two children and two infants. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules (VFR).
At 00:32 UTC, the crew contacted Medan Director controller, reporting climbing from 4,000 to 8,000 feet and providing an estimated arrival time of 00:50 UTC. They requested to fly direct to point “PAPA.” At about 00:41 UTC, the aircraft reported establishing contact with Kuta Cane Radio, and communication with Medan Director was terminated. The pilot then attempted to contact Kuta Cane Radio three times but received no reply.
At approximately 00:50 UTC, the aircraft was last observed on radar about 35 nautical miles from the Medan VOR. At 01:00 UTC, Kuta Cane airport authorities contacted the NBA representative in Kutacane to inquire about the aircraft’s position. The NBA staff then contacted the NBA office in Medan, reporting that the aircraft had not arrived. No distress signal was received.
At about 01:20 UTC, a Cessna Caravan operated by Susi Air flew from Kutacane to Medan and reported visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with calm winds; few clouds were observed at some mountain peaks. At about 01:50 UTC, Medan airport authorities were informed by the search and rescue office in Jakarta that an emergency locator transmitter signal had been detected.
At 07:00 UTC, a search was initiated by two Cessna Caravans of Susi Air. The wreckage was found on a 70° slope at 5,055 feet altitude in Mount Leuser National Park, 16 nautical miles from Kutacane. The aircraft was severely damaged, and none of the 18 occupants survived.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a CASA C-212-200 Aviocar, operated by Nusantara Buana Air. It first flew in 1989 and carried tail number PK-TLF with construction number 283/88N. No problems or mechanical defects were recorded with the aircraft at the time of the accident.
Crew and Passengers
Flight 823 carried two pilots and 16 passengers. The captain had 5,935 hours of flying experience, with 3,730 hours on the CASA C-212. The first officer had 2,500 hours of flying experience, including 1,100 hours on type, and was a former Indonesian Army pilot.
Investigation
The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) investigated the accident. From analysis of the cockpit voice recorder, the NTSC concluded that the crew elected to continue flying into weather that was below VFR minima—the minimum visibility and distance from cloud required for visual flight rules. The crew subsequently lost situational awareness until the aircraft impacted a mountainside, without any evasive action. The report noted that the crew had not received controlled flight into terrain (CFIT)-specific training nor the Approach and Landing Accident Reduction (ALAR) program.
Aftermath
Following the crash, the Indonesian Government suspended Nusantara Buana Air's air operator's certificate, grounding all its aircraft.