ATR 42-500 Aircraft Found on the Peak of Bulusaraung Hill

JAKARTA - The ATR 42-500 aircraft, which was previously reported missing, was found on the top of Bukit Bulusaraung, Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi. The plane was found during a search operation conducted by Basarnas on Sunday morning, January 18, 2026.

Deputy Operations and Preparedness of Basarnas Edy Prakoso, said that the aircraft was found by the ground SAR team after previously receiving a report of finding debris from the team who conducted a search for the location using the aircraft.

According to Edy, the Makassar SAR Office reported an initial indication of the aircraft's presence was detected at around 07.17 WITA when the air patrol aircraft reported white debris around the Bukit Bulusaraung area, which was then confirmed again by the SAR helicopter.

At 08.02 WITA, the ground team found a large piece of the plane on the north side of the hilltop, and at around 08.09 WITA the fuselage was successfully found for further identification.

Edy added that the evacuation process still takes into account weather factors, especially the high wind speed and fog while the helicopter tries to find a safe point to lower the SAR team at the nearest location from the position of the fuselage.