Airbus A300-600 crash, Sep 26, 1997 (234 killed), Medan-P...
Airbus A300-600 accident on September 26, 1997 near Medan-Polonia, North Sumatra, Indonesia with 234 fatalities. Cause: Crew confusion over turn...
- Date: September 26, 1997
- Aircraft: Airbus A300-600
- Location: Medan-Polonia, North Sumatra, Indonesia
- Fatalities: 234
- Phase of flight: Approach and landing
- Cause: Crew confusion over turn direction during radar vectoring, which reduced vertical awareness while the crew focused on lateral changes, so the aircraft continued descending below the assigned altitude into terrain.
Garuda flight GA152 was descending toward Medan on a radar vectored approach in smoke-reduced visibility when the crew misunderstood a turn instruction and turned left instead of right. The aircraft continued to lose altitude below the assigned 2,000 feet and struck trees on a ridge before crashing into a ravine, killing everyone on board.