Aviastar Flight 7503
Aviastar Flight 7503 was a regional flight from Masamba to Makassar, Indonesia. On 2 October 2015, the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft serving the route went missing with 10 on board near Palopo minutes after takeoff. There was no distress call from the plane.
An Aviastar DHC-6 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2 October 2015 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error |
| Site | Mount Latimojong, Luwu Regency, Indonesia 3°25′53″S 120°4′12″E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter |
| Operator | Aviastar |
| IATA flight No. | MV7503 |
| ICAO flight No. | VIT7503 |
| Call sign | AVIASTAR 7503 |
| Registration | PK-BRM |
| Flight origin | Andi Jemma Airport, Masamba, Indonesia |
| Destination | Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, Makassar, Indonesia |
| Occupants | 10 |
| Passengers | 7 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Survivors | 0 |
After an extensive search operation, three days later the plane was found crashed and it was confirmed that all 10 on board were dead. It was Aviastar's deadliest crash.
National Transportation Safety Committee released the final report in January 2017 and concluded that the crash was caused by pilot error. They found out that both pilots agreed to deviate the plane from its designated route and decided to "take a shortcut", and thus cutting the travel time of the airplane. However, by doing so, the plane would have had to pass the mountains on the middle of the route. This would not have happened if they stayed at their designated track which was near the shoreline. The report also noted the absence of warning of the ground proximity warning system (EGPWS).
Aviastar was temporarily suspended by the Indonesian government following the crash and all its entire fleet was grounded, but the airline resumed limited operations afterwards. However, as of 2024, the airline has been declared no longer operating since 2022 after its website was closed by that year.