What happened
At approximately 05:35 local time, a four-engine aircraft departed from Timika-Moses Kilangin Airport, en route to Wamena. During the final approach to the destination, the flight encountered challenging weather conditions characterized by multiple cloud layers. While descending through these clouds, the aircraft struck hilly terrain at 06:13 local time, roughly four minutes prior to its scheduled arrival time.
The impact and subsequent post-crash fire resulted in the total destruction of the airframe. There were 13 fatalities among the occupants, with no survivors reported. Search efforts located the wreckage situated less than 2 km southeast of the threshold of runway 33.
Findings
- The crew was operating in marginal weather conditions during the descent.
- The aircraft's flight path led to an impact with terrain while flying through several layers of cloud.