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 the Atang Sanjaya training area rather than the mountainous terrain of Mount Salak. A critical factor was the Jakarta Approach radar system (FDED), which did not have the RRJ-95B in its database and misidentified the aircraft as a 'Su-30'. This led the controller to believe the flight was a highly maneuverable military jet authorized for the training area. During the orbit, the crew was engaged in a lengthy conversation with a passenger in the cockpit regarding fuel consumption. This distraction caused the crew to lose track of their position, and the aircraft unintentionally exited the orbit, heading directly toward the mountain. 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
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
TAWS (Terrain Awareness and Warning System)
A system designed to prevent CFIT. The pilot manually inhibited the system because he mistakenly believed the database lacked Indonesian terrain data and was producing nuisance alerts.
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.
- 06At 07:32:26, just seconds before impact, a potential customer in the cockpit confirmed the pilot's incorrect assumption of the terrain by stating 'ya, its flat'.
- 07The crew was using a flight map with a scale of 1:500,000 that lacked detailed topographical information for the Mount Salak area.
- 08The Jakarta Radar system's own aural Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW) had been deactivated by controllers.
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.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Military vs. Civilian Identification
Reference ↗Initial confusion arose because the Jakarta radar system (FDED) misidentified the RRJ-95B as a Sukhoi Su-30 military jet. This led the controller to approve a descent to 6,000 feet, assuming the aircraft was a highly maneuverable fighter authorized for a nearby military training area.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the wikidata coordinate.