Official report reveals aircraft was off its designated approach path, with air traffic control attempting corrective instructions before all contact was lost over mountainous terrain.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Indonesian Ministry of Transport has released an official chronology of the flight that preceded the loss of contact with an ATR 42-500 aircraft over South Sulawesi on Saturday, January 17, 2026. The aircraft, registered PK-THT and operated by Indonesia Air Transport (IAT), was carrying ten people: seven crew members and three passengers.
According to a statement from Lukman Laisa, Director General of Civil Aviation, the flight departed from Yogyakarta’s Adi Sucipto Airport bound for Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar. The final communication sequence began around 04:23 UTC (12:23 PM local time in Makassar), when Air Traffic Control (ATC) at the Makassar Area Terminal Service Center directed the aircraft to begin its approach to the runway.
A Deviated Path and Lost Communication
During this critical approach phase, controllers identified that the aircraft was not on its correct flight path. “In the approach process, the aircraft was identified as not being on the intended approach path, so Air Traffic Control provided repeated instructions to the flight crew to correct its position,” Lukman stated.
ATC then issued further instructions for the aircraft to return to the standard landing procedure. It was during the relay of these final instructions that all communication with the flight crew was abruptly lost. In immediate response, ATC declared a DETRESFA (Distress Phase), the highest level of aviation emergency.
Search Focus and Coordination
The ongoing search and rescue (SAR) operation remains concentrated in the rugged limestone karst region of Bantimurung, within Leang-Leang Village, Maros Regency—an area consistent with the aircraft’s last estimated position. AirNav Indonesia has prepared to issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to alert other aircraft of the SAR activities in the zone.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed it is maintaining intensive coordination through the Makassar Regional Airport Authority Office with AirNav Indonesia, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the airline operator, the Indonesian Air Force, and other relevant institutions to monitor the situation and ensure an optimal response.
The detailed chronology provides the first official narrative of the operational events leading up to the disappearance, shifting the focus from initial reports to the specific challenges of the aircraft’s final approach and the immediate emergency protocols enacted.
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