Date & Time:
Jan 31, 1993
Type of aircraft:
Short SC.7 Skyvan Variant
Operator:
Registration:
9M-PID
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Medan - Banda Aceh
MSN:
1961
YOM:
1978
Country:
Indonesia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
11
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
14
Circumstances:
En route from Medan to Banda Aceh, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to clouds. The crew informed ATC about his altitude at 8,500 feet when, three minutes later, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt Kapur located about 130 km northwest of Medan. The wreckage was found few hours later and all 14 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain because the crew was flying below the minimum prescribed altitude in poor visibility due to clouds. On the route from Medan to Banda Aceh, published procedures fix a minimum altitude of 9,500 feet during the first portion of 160 km then 11,500 feet for the rest of the route. At the time of the accident, sky was overcast from 4,000 to 12,000 feet and the crew was obviously unaware of his insufficient altitude.
