History of Flight
On 11 January 2007, a CASA 212-200 aircraft registered PK-BRM, operated by PT. Aviastar Mandiri Pty Ltd, was on a charter flight from Balikpapan to Tanjung Bara, both in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The aircraft departed Balikpapan at 23:00 local time with a planned flight time of 55 minutes at an altitude of 7,000 feet. There were 13 people on board: two pilots, a maintenance engineer, and 10 passengers. The pilot in command (PIC) was the pilot flying for the sector, and the copilot was the monitoring/support pilot.
The flight progressed normally until approximately five minutes before landing, when the number-1 (left engine) generator malfunctioned. The PIC consulted the maintenance engineer, who advised that the aircraft could continue operating without issue.
The aircraft conducted a final approach to runway 04 at Tanjung Bara Airport at 23:50. The aircraft touched down to the right of the runway centerline, then diverged further right onto soft wet ground. It subsequently impacted a channel embankment and a barbed-wire airport perimeter fence. The passengers evacuated through the rear cabin door, opened by the maintenance engineer. The airport fire rescue service arrived five minutes later and provided assistance. None of the occupants were injured.
Approach and Landing
During the descent, in addition to the generator failure, the left engine torque was fluctuating and tending to increase above normal parameters. The aircraft was higher than the glideslope during the approach. The copilot indicated that the aircraft could be landed safely, and the cockpit voice recorder captured him saying "sure in," which he later explained meant they could land from that approach. The PIC stated that because the aircraft was veering to the right, he attempted to hold the control column to the left to correct, but this was ineffective.
Conclusion
The investigation determined that the aircraft was not flown on a stabilized approach and subsequently touched down to the right of the runway centerline. After touchdown, the aircraft veered to the right, and the PIC's effort to bring it back using aileron was ineffective. There was no evidence that visibility affecting visual acquisition of the runway was a factor. However, the investigation noted that a visual approach guidance system, such as a Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI), might have provided additional visual cues to help prevent the unstabilized approach.