What happened
On 2മുണ്ട 26 September 1997, Garuda Indonesia Flight GA 152, an Airbus A300-B4 registered as PK-GAI, was conducting a scheduled passenger service from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to Medan. During the approach phase, the aircraft was operating under Instrument Flight Rules in conditions characterized by low visibility due to smoke.
As the flight approached Medan, air traffic controllers provided various vectors and altitude instructions to intercept the ILS for Runway 05. At approximately 06:30:04 UTC, the crew received an instruction to turn right to a heading of 046 degrees. However, the crew misread this instruction as a command to turn left. Flight data recorder information shows that instead of executing a right turn, the aircraft began rolling to the left and continued descending through 2600 feet.
The flight crew engaged in several communications with Medan Approach to clarify whether they should be turning left or right. During these exchanges, the aircraft's descent continued past the assigned 2000-foot altitude. While the crew attempted to correct the turn direction, the aircraft's altitude dropped significantly. At 06:31:32 UTC, the aircraft struck treetops at an elevation of approximately 1550 feet. The plane then impacted a ravine roughly 600 meters away from the initial tree strike. The accident resulted in 234 fatalities, with no survivors among the passengers or crew.
Findings
- The flight was operating in visibility as low as 400 meters due to smoke, which was below the required minimums for the approach.
- Confusion regarding the direction of the turn led the crew to focus on lateral navigation at the expense of monitoring their vertical descent.
- The aircraft descended below the assigned altitude of 2000 feet while the crew was preoccupied with clarifying heading instructions.