What happened
On 7 May 2011, a scheduled passenger flight, MZ 8968, operated by PT. Merpati Nusantara Airline, was traveling from Sorong's Domine Eduard Osok Airport to Utarom Airport in Kaimana. The aircraft, an Xi’An MA60 with registration PK-MZK, was being operated under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), though the destination airport lacked a published instrument approach procedure, necessitating Visual Flight Rules (VFR) for the arrival and landing phases.
The flight crew, consisting of two pilots, two flight attendants, and two engineers, was accompanied by 19 passengers, including 16 adults, one child, and two infants. During the approach, the crew communicated with Kaimana Radio to report weather conditions, noting rain and visibility between 3 and 8 kilometers. However, during the final communication at approximately 0450 UTC, the crew was informed that ground visibility had dropped to 2 kilometers, which fell below the 5-kilometer minimum required for VFR operations.
As the aircraft approached the destination, the crew was attempting to visually locate the runway. During this final segment, the aircraft's flight path fluctuated in altitude and the bank angle increased to the left. The aircraft then entered a rapid descent, reaching a rate of approximately 3000 feet per minute before impacting the sea. The wreckage was located roughly 550 meters from the coastline, submerged in shallow water. The accident resulted in 25 fatalities, as all occupants were killed.
Findings
- The visibility at the destination was reported as 2 kilometers, which was below the minimum requirement for VFR flight.
- The aircraft entered a high-rate descent during the final approach segment while the crew was attempting to sight the runway visually.