Accident
A commercial aircraft departed Datah Dawai Airport for a scheduled flight to Samarinda, East Kalimantan, carrying 18 persons including the pilot. Minutes after becoming airborne, the aircraft crashed approximately 2 kilometers north of the extension of Runway 02. The pilot and 11 passengers sustained serious injuries, while six others reported minor injuries or none. Weather conditions at the time were reported as clear.
Investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and operational records. They found no evidence of engine failure prior to impact. The aircraft had exceeded its manufacturer's maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) for the flight, and its center of gravity was near the aft limit of the approved flight envelope. The pilot-in-command (PIC) appeared to have held a mistaken belief that taking off at a higher velocity would optimize takeoff performance, which required a longer ground roll and brought the aircraft closer to obstacles, forcing a higher rate of climb. Additionally, the PIC and ground crews at Datah Dawai had allowed more passengers to board than the number of seats available, and improperly calculated the aircraft's payload weight.
The operator lacked a proper supervision system to prevent such practices and had never filed Flight Clearance for its Samarinda-Datah Dawai operations. Demand for seats on the pioneer route exceeded capacity, and the operator did not publish sufficient flight operation documents, such as visual track guidance and single-engine emergency return procedures, to ensure safe operations in and out of Datah Dawai.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined that the exceeding of MTOW, a small stability margin, the PIC's takeoff habits, and the lack of published safety documents for the area were contributing factors to the accident. Evidence indicated practices consistent with negligence, willful misconduct, and violations of flight safety rules and regulations.