Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 Crash (PK-GAI)

Flight Details and Departure On 26 September 1997, Garuda Indonesia Flight GA 152, operating an Airbus A300-B4 with registration PK-GAI, departed Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 04:41 UTC. The aircraft was on a scheduled passenger service to Polonia International Airport in Medan, North Sumatera, with an estimated arrival time of 06:41 UTC. The flight was conducted under Instrument Flight Rules during daylight. Prior to departure, the crew received standard flight briefings, including NOTAMs, weather information, and the flight plan. A NOTAM indicated that the Medan VOR was overdue for maintenance and should be used with caution, though it had been calibrated on 14 June 1997. The dispatcher noted that actual visibility at Medan was 400 meters in smoke, below the 800-meter minimum for the runway 05 ILS approach.