 A Xian MA60 of Merpati Nusantara Airlines similar to the one involved | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 May 2011 |
| Summary | Crashed into the sea during go-around due to pilot error |
| Site | Off the coast near Utarom Airport, Kaimana, Indonesia 03°39′08″S 133°41′15″E / 3.65222°S 133.68750°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Xian MA60 |
| Operator | Merpati Nusantara Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | MZ8968 |
| ICAO flight No. | MNA8968 |
| Call sign | Merpati 8968 |
| Registration | PK-MZK |
| Flight origin | Domine Eduard Osok Airport, Sorong, Indonesia |
| Stopover | Utarom Airport, Kaimana, Indonesia |
| Destination | Nabire Airport, Nabire, Indonesia |
| Occupants | 25 |
| Passengers | 21 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 25 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 8968 (MZ8968/MNA8968) was a passenger flight which crashed off the coast of the Indonesian province of West Papua on 7 May 2011. The aircraft involved, a Xian MA60, was operating Merpati Nusantara Airlines' scheduled domestic service from Sorong to Kaimana, both in West Papua. It crashed into the sea while on approach to Kaimana in heavy rain condition, about 800 metres (2,600 ft) before the runway. All 25 people on board the aircraft perished. It remains the only fatal accident involving a Xian MA60.[1][2][3][4]
The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee concluded that the crash was caused by pilot error. During the approach, both pilots were struggling to see the airport due to adverse weather in the area and eventually initiated a go around procedure. However, they did not pay enough attention to the bank angle of the aircraft as both of them were looking out of the window. The lack of situational awareness eventually caused the Xian MA60 to overbank and it subsequently plunged into the sea.[5]
- ^ Hradecky, Simon (7 May 2011). "Crash: Merpati MA60 at Kaimana on May 7th 2011, impacted waters before runway". Aviation Herald. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
- ^ "Update: Indonesia Plane Crash". Jakarta Globe. 7 May 2011. Archived from the original on 9 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
- ^ "27 killed in plane crash in Indonesia". Xinhua. 7 May 2011. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
- ^ "Plane carrying 27 crashes in eastern Indonesia". MSNBC. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
- ^ Aircraft Accident Investigation Report, PT. Merpati Nusantara Airlines, Xi 'An Aircraft Industry MA60; PK-MZK, Utarom Airport, Kaimana - Papua Barat, Republic of Indonesia, 07 May 2011 (PDF) (Report). National Transportation Safety Committee. May 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2019.