What happened
On 7 March 2007, a Boeing 737-497, registration PK-GZC, was operating a scheduled passenger service from Jakarta to Yogyakarta under instrument flight rules. The flight, operated by Garuda Indonesia, carried 133 passengers and seven crew members. Prior to departure from Jakarta, the crew noted a thrust reverser fault on the left engine, which ground engineers resolved by resetting the unit.
During the descent toward Yogyakarta, the crew transitioned to visual meteorological conditions. While the pilots were preparing for an ILS approach to runway 09, they failed to notify air traffic control of their specific approach intentions. During the final stages of the approach, the aircraft was flying at an excessive airspeed and on a steep descent path. Despite receiving multiple GPWS warnings and two calls from the copilot to initiate a go-around, the pilot in command continued the approach.
At 23:58:10, the aircraft overran the departure end of runway 09. The pilot in command reported shutting down both engines as the plane exited the runway surface. The aircraft crossed a roadway and struck an embankment before coming to rest in a nearby rice paddy, approximately 252 meters from the threshold of runway 27. The impact and subsequent intense fire destroyed the airframe. The accident resulted in 21 fatalities (one flight attendant and 20 passengers) and 12 serious injuries, while 119 individuals survived.
Findings
Investigation into the accident identified several critical contributing factors:
- The flight crew demonstrated ineffective communication and coordination following a configuration change during descent.
- The pilot in command maintained an unstable approach characterized by high airspeed and a steep descent, failing to abort despite missed approach criteria not being met.
- The pilot in command disregarded 15 separate GPWS alerts and warnings, including multiple prompts to pull up.
- The copilot failed to take control of the aircraft as required by company policy after the pilot in command ignored go-around instructions.
- A lack of specific simulator training for GPWS and EGPWS responses was noted within the airline's training program.
- Safety deficiencies were identified at the airport, specifically regarding non-compliance with ICAO standards for runway end safety areas and insufficient rescue and firefighting capabilities for operations in swampy terrain outside the perimeter.