Legal Observer Warns Families of ATR 45-500 Aircraft Victims Must Get Legal Rights

JAKARTA - The Indonesian aviation world is again in mourning following the crash of an ATR 45-500 plane that fell in the Bulusaraung mountain area, Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi, on Saturday, January 17, 2026.

In the incident, as many as 10 people, consisting of the crew and passengers of the plane, died.

Flight law observer Columbanus Priaardanto, S.H., M.H., reminded the victims' families to be careful of irresponsible parties who could potentially take advantage of the ATR 45-500 plane crash incident with registration PK-THT.

"The victim's family must immediately receive clear legal assistance in accordance with the applicable aviation laws in Indonesia and internationally, so that they are not exploited by irresponsible parties," said the man, who is familiarly called Danto, Thursday, January 22, 2026.

According to Danto, in addition to providing legal certainty to the victim's family, the airline operator, PT Indonesia Air Transport, should also make an official statement regarding the accident.

The reason is that the heirs of the victims are entitled to legal certainty for their rights in the Republic of Indonesia.

"We are still waiting for an official statement from PT Indonesia Air Transport regarding the fulfillment of the rights of the victims' families. This is important considering that there is still little public understanding of air law, both national and international, in the case of a flight accident," he said.

He emphasized that the rights of the victims' heirs were protected by national law and international conventions.

"The rights of heirs are legally protected by the Republic of Indonesia and international conventions, both as passengers and as crew and pilots at the time of this heartbreaking incident," he said.

Danto explained that a number of provisions related to aircraft accidents have been regulated in the Aviation Law, the Minister of Transportation Regulation, and the 1999 Montreal Convention on International Air Transport which Indonesia has ratified through Law Number 1 of 2017.

"Article 357 of Law Number 1 of 2009 states that an air accident is an event related to the operation of an aircraft that results in death, serious injury, or serious damage to the aircraft. In addition, the obligation to report, investigate, and handle commercial air accidents is regulated in Articles 358 to 360 of Law Number 1 of 2009," he explained.

He also referred to the Minister of Transportation Regulation Number 77 of 2011 concerning the Responsibilities of Air Transport Carriers as the basis for fulfilling the rights of victims and heirs.

Meanwhile, so far the Basarnas team together with the TNI and Polri has found eight dead victims. The search process is still being carried out around the location of the ATR 45-500 plane crash on the peak of Mount Bulusaraung, Pangkep, South Sulawesi.

The location of the plane crash was in a ravine with a depth of almost 500 meters from the top of the mountain.