Indonesian ATR 42-500 plane goes missing; debris reported on mountain

An Indonesian ATR 42-500 aircraft has gone missing, as video footage appears to show debris on a mountain near the location where contact was lost, according to flight-tracking data and local media reports.

FlightRadar24 said on Saturday that it was following reports from local media indicating that an ATR 42-500, registration PK-THT, was missing. The aircraft was flying at low altitude over the ocean, limiting radar coverage, and its last signal was received at 04:20 UTC, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) northeast of an airport near Makassar, Indonesia.

Local media reported that contact with the aircraft was lost at about 1:17 p.m. local time. The plane was reported to be carrying three passengers and eight crew members.

According to Breaking Aviation News, the plane was operated by Indonesia Air on behalf of Indonesia’s Marine and Fisheries Resources Surveillance service.

Video posted to Instagram by a user identified as resk1___ appears to show debris scattered at the peak of Mount Bulu Saraung in Indonesia. The footage shows dense fog and personal belongings scattered across rocky terrain, with the person recording the video attempting to put out a small fire visible among the debris.

Indonesian authorities have not confirmed that the aircraft crashed.

Andi Sultan, head of operations at Indonesia’s search and rescue agency in Makassar, said teams were being dispatched to the location near Leang-Leang in Maros.