Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 542

Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 542

A Garuda Indonesian Airways Douglas DC-3
Disappearance
Date	3 February 1961 (1961-02-03)
Summary	Missing, presumed crashed into the sea
Site	Off Madura Island
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Douglas DC-3
Operator	Garuda Indonesian Airways
Registration	PK-GDY
Flight origin	Juanda Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia
Destination	Sepinggan Airport, Balikpapan, Indonesia
Occupants	26
Passengers	21
Crew	5
Fatalities	26 (presumed)
Missing	26
Survivors	0 (presumed)

Garuda Indonesia Flight 542 was a scheduled passenger flight on 3 February 1961, which was reported missing en route from Surabaya to Balikpapan. All 26 occupants on board were lost in the accident. ^[1]

Flight

The aircraft departed Surabaya-Juanda Airport at 11:35 pm inbound for Balikpapan. While in cruising altitude, the airplane disappeared from radar screens and presumably crashed into the Java Sea. Search and rescue operations were conducted but eventually suspended after a few days, as no trace of the aircraft nor the 26 occupants was found. The crew was unable to send any distress call prior to the accident. Due to a lack of evidence, it was not possible to determine the exact cause of the accident.^{[ citation needed ]} The wreckage was never found. ^[2]

Aftermath

The following day, at around noon, the flight was reported as missing. Search and rescue efforts were unsuccessful in trying to locate the wreckage. ^[3]

References

1. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-47A-20-DK PK-GDY Madura Island" . Retrieved 20 March 2022.
2. Eberhardt, Robin (17 March 2014). "Missing planes". Deutsche Welle . Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
3. "Aircraft Accident Digest No.13" (PDF). International Civil Aviation Organization. 1964. pp. 41–42. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2016 – via Civil Aviation Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan.