Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 724

Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 724
	A Merpati Nusantara Airlines Fokker F28 Fellowship similar to the crashed aircraft
Accident
Date	1 July 1993
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error
Site	Near Jefman Airport, Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Fokker F28 Fellowship
Operator	Merpati Nusantara Airlines
Registration	PK-GFU
Flight origin	Pattimura Airport, Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia
Destination	Jefman Airport, Sorong, Irian Jaya, Indonesia
Occupants	43
Passengers	39
Crew	4
Fatalities	41
Injuries	2
Survivors	2

Last updated January 24, 2023

Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 724 (MZ724/MNA724) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by Merpati Nusantara Airlines from Pattimura Airport in Maluku's provincial capital Ambon to Jefman Airport in Sorong, Irian Jaya (currently West Papua); both in Indonesia. On 1 July 1993, the aircraft operating the flight, a Fokker F28 Fellowship 3000 registered as PK-GFU, crashed into the sea after it struck a small hill near Jefman Airport. Forty-one people were killed in the crash.^[1]^[2]

Accident

On 1 July 1993, the Fokker F28 Fellowship was approaching Jefman Airport at a relatively low height. Survivors recalled that the distance between the ground and the aircraft was less than one metre. The aircraft suddenly climbed then the left landing gear struck the summit of a small hill. Survivors stated that there was a loud bang when it happened.^[3]

Some passengers were thrown from their seats inside the aircraft. Parts of the wing detached, and the aircraft began to spin. The aircraft then overran the airport and crashed into the sea, breaking into three main sections. Most of the victims were found still strapped to their seats and several bodies floated to the surface. Search and rescue units were deployed immediately after the crash. Local fishermen arrived first on the crash site and helped a young boy and a man from the site. Several people survived the crash, but some died from their injuries. A man survived the crash and saved an unconscious boy from the water. While handing the boy over to a local fisherman, he suddenly became unconscious and later died.^[3]^[4]

News of the crash began to break at 3:00pm - 4:00pm. Relatives of the victims were informed about the crash and were transported to the crash site. They arrived the following day. The evacuation process was relatively quick, as the crash site was easily accessible.^[4]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in the crash was a Fokker F28 Fellowship 3000 registered as PK-GFU with a serial number of 11131. The aircraft had its first flight in April 1978. It was delivered the same year and after service with Garuda Indonesia it was sold to Merpati Nusantara Airlines in 1989.^[5]

Investigation

Weather conditions were reported as bad at the time of the crash. Eyewitnesses stated that heavy rain was accompanied by strong wind. Merpati spokesman also stated that the weather in and around Sorong was "inclement", including the area of Jefman Airport. Thick black clouds could be seen at the time of the crash. Reports revealed that air traffic controllers had warned the crew of Flight 724 to abort their landing attempt and divert to Biak Airport. However, the pilot of Flight 724 insisted on landing at Jefman Airport.^[4]

When the pilot started the descent the aircraft turned towards the sea instead of the runway. The pilot seemed to be disoriented due to the inclement weather conditions. Seconds later, the crew realized their mistakes and executed a climb, but failed. The front part of the aircraft did manage to avoid the hill, however the rear part of the aircraft hit it. The aircraft then broke into three sections and crashed into the sea.^[4]

Related Research Articles

The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a twin-engined, short-range jet airliner designed and built by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.

Soewondo Air Force Base is currently the military airbase of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Before 2013, this airport served commercial flights, and was known as Polonia International Airport which was the principal airport that served Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, about 2 km from the downtown, and used to serve flights to several Indonesian and Malaysian cities, along with a flight to Singapore and Thailand. Previous international flights had been opened to Hong Kong, Taipei, Amsterdam, Phuket, Chennai, Johor Bahru, Malacca and Ipoh.

PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines, operating as Merpati Nusantara Airlines, was an airline in Indonesia based in Central Jakarta, Jakarta. It operated scheduled domestic services to more than 25 destinations in Indonesia, as well as scheduled international services to East Timor and Malaysia. The word merpati is Indonesian for "dove", and Nusantara is a Javanese word found in the Pararaton meaning "the outer islands", referring to the Indonesian archipelago. The airline was based at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta. It also maintained both a maintenance and simulator facility at Juanda International Airport, Surabaya. The Merpati Training Centre at Surabaya housed Fokker F-27, AVIC MA60 and CN-235 full motion simulators.

The Xian MA60 is a turboprop-powered airliner produced by China's Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The MA60 is a stretched version of the Xian Y7-200A, which was produced based on the An-24 to operate in rugged conditions with limited ground support and has short take-off and landing (STOL) capability.

Tawau Airport is an airport located 15 nautical miles north east of Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia. It is one of two airports in Sabah with immigration counters for international flights, the other being Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Tawau Airport serves the districts of Tawau, Kunak and Semporna and is the nearest airport to the diving islands of Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai, all of which are located in the latter district.

Sam Ratulangi International Airport, is located in North Sulawesi, 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast of Manado. The airport is named after the Minahasan educator and independence hero Sam Ratulangi (1890–1949). It is designated as one of the 11 main entry ports to Indonesia by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Indonesia and serves as the main gateway to the Bunaken National Marine Park. It is currently the operating base of Lion Air/Wings Air for the northeastern part of Indonesia and is one of the focus cities of Garuda Indonesia and Citilink. It is served by international airlines.

Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 was a scheduled domestic flight operated by Garuda Indonesia from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang to Polonia International Airport, Medan in Indonesia. On 26 September 1997, the aircraft flying the route crashed into mountainous woodlands near the village of Buah Nabar, Sibolangit, killing all 222 passengers and 12 crew on board. It is the deadliest aviation disaster in Indonesia's history.

Husein Sastranegara International Airport is an airport in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. It is located within the city and 2.4 km from Bandung Central train station. The site occupies an area of 145 hectares and serves the area of civil aviation in the south western region of Java. The airfield is conjoined with the Husein Sastranegara air force base of the Indonesian Air Force.

El Tari International Airport is an airport in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The airport is named after El Tari (1926–1978), the governor of East Nusa Tenggara from 1966 to 1978. The airport's ICAO code was changed from WRKK to WATT in 2004. As of December 2018, there were at least 258 outbound flights per week from the airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domine Eduard Osok Airport</span> Airport in Sorong, Indonesia

Domine Eduard Osok Airport is an airport in Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia. It is one of the largest and busiest airports on the Bird's Head Peninsula. It replaced a smaller, former World War II airfield, Jefman Airport on the island of Jefman. The airport is named after Domine Eduard Osok, a pastor originating from Sorong and known for doing missionary works and spreading Christianity in Sorong and the surrounding parts.

Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 9760D was a domestic commercial passenger 50-minutes flight, flying from Sentani Airport in Papua's Province Jayapura to Oksibil Airport in Oksibil, Indonesia operated by a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300. On Sunday, August 2, 2009, while carrying fifteen people over Papua, the aircraft went missing en route. Its wreckage was found a few miles from Oksibil two days later. All 12 passengers and 3 crew members were killed in the accident.

Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 836 was a scheduled domestic flight between Sorong and Manokwari, Indonesia. On 13 April 2010, the flight, operated by Boeing 737-300 PK-MDE, overran the runway on landing. The aircraft broke into three pieces. All people on board survived, although 44 suffered injuries.

On 10 November 1971, a Merpati Nusantara Airlines Vickers Viscount, registration PK-MVS, crashed in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, after telling air traffic controllers they could not make their destination due to bad weather. All 69 people aboard the aircraft were killed in the crash. It remains the third worst Vickers Viscount accident.

Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 8968 was a passenger flight which crashed off the coast of the Indonesian province of West Papua on 7 May 2011. The aircraft involved, a Xian MA60, was operating Merpati Nusantara Airlines' scheduled domestic service from Sorong to Kaimana, both in West Papua. It crashed into the sea while on approach to Kaimana in heavy rain condition, about 800 metres (2,600 ft) before the runway. All 25 people on board the aircraft perished. It was the first fatal crash of the Xian MA60 aircraft.

Lion Air Flight 904 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia. On April 13, 2013, the Boeing 737-800 operating the flight crashed into water short of the runway while on final approach to land. All 101 passengers and 7 crew on board survived the accident. At 3:10 pm, the aircraft crashed approximately 0.6 nmi (1.1 km) short of the seawall protecting the threshold of Runway 09. The aircraft's fuselage broke into two and 46 people were injured, 4 of them seriously.

Sempati Air Flight 304 (SSR304) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight, flying from Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung, West Java to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta. On 17 July 1997, the aircraft operating the flight, a Fokker F27 Friendship 600 leased from Trigana Air Service, registered PK-YPM, crashed into a densely populated neighbourhood of Margahayu in Bandung after suffering an engine failure shortly after take-off killing 28 of the occupants and injuring several on the ground.

Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 6517 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Bajawa to Kupang, Indonesia. On 10 June 2013, the Xian MA60 twin turboprop operating the route crashed on the runway while landing at Kupang's El Tari Airport, injuring 25 occupants, five seriously. The aircraft was severely damaged in the impact and subsequently written off.

Sriwijaya Air Flight 062 (SJ062/SJY062) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight, operated by Indonesian airline Sriwijaya Air from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta to Sultan Thaha Airport, Jambi. On 27 August 2008, the aircraft operating the flight, a Boeing 737 series 200 registered as PK-CJG, overran the runway and crashed onto a house during its landing attempt at Jambi. Due to the accident, 26 people were injured, including 3 people on the ground. One person later succumbed to his injuries. Everyone on board the aircraft survived the crash. It was the first fatal crash in Sriwijaya Air's operational history and was the only fatal accident until Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 crashed in 2021.

References

1 2 "INDONESIAN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT/INCIDENT DATABASE-YEAR 1993". knkt.dephub.go.id.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
↑ Ranter, Harro. "Accident description". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
1 2 "Kisah Fredy, Korban Selamat tragedi MZ 724 tahun 1993" [The story of Fredy, a survivor of the 1993 MZ 724 tragedy]. Atmosvers.blogspot.co.id (in Indonesian). Atmosvers. Retrieved 2017-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
1 2 3 4 "Saya Dapat Merasakan Kepedihan Keluarga Korban, Karena Saya Pernah Berada di Posisi Seperti Mereka" [I Can Feel The Sadness Of The Victim's Family, Because I Was In Their Position]. kompasiana.com (in Indonesian). Kompasiana. 2012-05-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
↑ "Registration Details For PK-GFU (Merpati Nusantara Airlines) Fokker F-28-3000". www.planelogger.com. PlaneLogger.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links

Photo of the wreckage

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[dephub1993-1] 1 2 "INDONESIAN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT/INCIDENT DATABASE-YEAR 1993". knkt.dephub.go.id.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[2] Ranter, Harro. "Accident description". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[blogspot1-3] 1 2 "Kisah Fredy, Korban Selamat tragedi MZ 724 tahun 1993" [The story of Fredy, a survivor of the 1993 MZ 724 tragedy]. Atmosvers.blogspot.co.id (in Indonesian). Atmosvers. Retrieved 2017-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[kompasiana1-4] 1 2 3 4 "Saya Dapat Merasakan Kepedihan Keluarga Korban, Karena Saya Pernah Berada di Posisi Seperti Mereka" [I Can Feel The Sadness Of The Victim's Family, Because I Was In Their Position]. kompasiana.com (in Indonesian). Kompasiana. 2012-05-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[5] "Registration Details For PK-GFU (Merpati Nusantara Airlines) Fokker F-28-3000". www.planelogger.com. PlaneLogger.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in Indonesia and the Dutch East Indies
1940s- 1980s	1942 Qantas Short Empire shootdown (January 1942) Dakota VT-CLA (July 1947) Air India Flight 300 (April 1955) KLM Flight 844 (July 1957) Garuda Indonesia Flight 708 (February 1967) 1971 Indian Ocean Vickers Viscount crash (November 1971) Pan Am Flight 812 (April 1974) Garuda Indonesia Flight 150 (September 1975) 1979 Garuda Fokker F28 crash (July 1979) Garuda Indonesia Flight 206 (March 1981) British Airways Flight 009 (June 1982) Garuda Indonesia Flight 035 (April 1987)
1990s	Mandala Airlines Flight 660 (July 1992) Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 5601 (October 1992) Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 724 (July 1993) Dirgantara Air Service Flight 5940 (December 1996) Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 106 (April 1997) Sempati Air Flight 304 (July 1997) Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 (September 1997) SilkAir Flight 185 (December 1997)
2000s	Dirgantara Air Service Flight 3130 (November 2000) Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 (January 2002) Lion Air Flight 583 (November 2004) Mandala Airlines Flight 091 (September 2005) Adam Air Flight 574 (January 2007) Adam Air Flight 172 (February 2007) Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 (March 2007) Mimika Air Flight 514 (April 2009) Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 9760 (August 2009)
2010s	Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 836 (April 2010) Qantas Flight 32 (November 2010) Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 8968 (May 2011) Nusantara Buana Air Flight 823 (September 2011) Mount Salak Sukhoi Superjet crash (May 2012) Lion Air Flight 904 (April 2013) Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 6517 (June 2013) Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 (December 2014) Trigana Air Flight 267 (August 2015) Aviastar Flight 7503 (October 2015) Batik Air Flight 7703 (April 2016) Lion Air Flight 610 (October 2018)
2020s	Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 (January 2021)