Accident
Trigana Air Flight 267 was a scheduled passenger flight from Sentani to Oksibil in the eastern Indonesian province of Papua. On 16 August 2015, the ATR 42 turboprop operating the service crashed on approach in the Bintang highlands region of Oksibil, killing all 49 passengers and 5 crew members. With 54 deaths, it is the deadliest accident involving the ATR 42 and the airline's deadliest since its establishment in 1991.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was an ATR 42-300 registered as PK-YRN, with serial number 102, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120 engines manufactured in 1988. Trigana Air acquired the aircraft in 2005. Aircraft operated by Trigana Air were involved in fourteen accidents between 1992 and 2016, eleven of which resulted in hull losses.
Passengers and crew
The aircraft was carrying 49 passengers and 5 crew members. All on board were Indonesian, including 44 adults, 3 children, and 2 infants. The two pilots were Captain Hasanuddin (aged 60, 25,200 total flying hours, 7,300 on ATR 42) and First Officer Ariadin Falani (aged 44, 3,800 total flying hours, 2,600 on ATR 42). Among the passengers were four postal servicemen carrying approximately 6.5 billion rupiah ($470,000) for distribution of the Indonesia Sejahtera card, three local government officials, and two members of the Regional Representatives Council attending Indonesia's 70th independence anniversary celebrations in Oksibil.
Flight and search
The flight took off from Sentani Airport at 14:22 WIT (05:22 UTC) and was expected to land at Oksibil around 15:04. Oksibil is a remote town near the border with Papua New Guinea, and its airport lacked an instrument landing system due to proximity to mountains. Contact was lost at about 14:55; no distress call was made. Ground staff at Oksibil attempted to contact the aircraft unsuccessfully after it was due at 15:00. At the time, the aircraft was on the final segment of its route.
Weather conditions
Initial reports cited stormy weather as a possible cause, but later confirmation indicated good weather. Minister of Transportation Ignasius Jonan stated bad weather was not the cause. Data from the local meteorological office showed sunny conditions, and the crew of another aircraft landing prior to the crash reported conditions as "good." The Ministry of Transportation noted that Indonesia's air navigation equipment, especially in remote areas like Papua, was outdated, dating back to the 1950s, forcing reliance on visual flight rules.
Investigation and findings
The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) published its final report in December 2017. The report stated that deviation from visual approach guidance and visual flight rules without regard to weather and terrain, and the likely deactivation of the EGPWS system contributed directly to the crash, compounded by shortcomings in Trigana Air's safety culture.