Investigation Summary
The accident occurred during the second of two planned demonstration flights intended to showcase the new Russian regional jet to potential Indonesian buyers. The pilot in command, a highly experienced Sukhoi test pilot, requested a descent from 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet and a right-hand orbit. Air Traffic Control (ATC) approved the request, assuming the aircraft was over a designated training area rather than the mountainous terrain of Mount Salak. During the orbit, the crew was engaged in a lengthy conversation with a passenger in the cockpit. When the TAWS 'Terrain Ahead' and 'Pull Up' warnings sounded, the pilot inhibited the system, mistakenly believing the warnings were erroneous due to a lack of local terrain data in the system's database. Seconds later, the aircraft struck a near-vertical cliff face.
Final Conclusions
The NTSC concluded the crash was a result of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). Contributing factors included the crew's loss of situational awareness, the pilot's decision to ignore TAWS warnings, and the ATC controller's lack of awareness regarding the aircraft's proximity to high terrain due to a lack of minimum altitude warning boundaries on the radar screen for that specific sector.
Video Analysis
Sukhoi Superjet 100 Mount Salak Crash Analysis — This video examines the 2012 demonstration flight crash of a Sukhoi Superjet 100 into Mount Salak. It details how crew distractions and ignored terrain warnings led to the fatal collision with the volcano.
Watch on YouTube ↗If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Systems & Failure Modes
TAWS (Terrain Awareness and Warning System)
A system designed to prevent CFIT by providing visual and aural alerts when the aircraft is in danger of striking the ground.
Flight Management System (FMS)
The crew believed the FMS/TAWS database lacked Indonesian terrain data, leading them to disregard warnings.
Interesting Facts
- 01The flight was a 'Welcome Asia' demonstration tour intended to secure orders from Indonesian airlines.
- 02The pilot in command had over 10,000 flight hours, including significant experience as a test pilot.
- 03The TAWS system was fully functional but was manually inhibited by the crew before impact.
- 04The aircraft was flying in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) with thick cloud cover obscuring the mountain.
- 05The ATC controller was managing 15 aircraft simultaneously and assumed the Sukhoi was in a different sector.
Safety Actions & Advisories
ATC Radar Minimums
Source ↗The Indonesian DGCA mandated that all ATC radar screens must display Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW) boundaries for all sectors.
Sterile Cockpit Procedures
Sukhoi revised its demonstration flight protocols to strictly enforce sterile cockpit rules, prohibiting non-essential personnel and conversation during critical phases of flight.