The crash killed 149 people total, including North Sumatra's sitting governor, and was attributed to flight crew misconfiguration of flaps and slats at takeoff.
Key Facts
- Date of crash
- September 5, 2005
- Passengers and crew aboard
- 117 people
- Survivors
- 17 people
- Ground fatalities
- 49 civilians
- Total fatalities
- 149 people
- Aircraft type
- Boeing 737-200Adv
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The flight crew failed to configure the Boeing 737-200Adv properly for takeoff, leaving the flaps and slats retracted. This deprived the aircraft of sufficient lift. The takeoff warning system either was not heard or did not alert the pilots, leaving them unaware of the error as they began the takeoff roll.
On September 5, 2005, Mandala Airlines Flight 091 stalled seconds after departing Polonia International Airport in Medan, Indonesia, and crashed into a densely populated residential neighborhood. Of 117 people on board, only 17 survived, and 49 civilians on the ground were also killed.
The crash claimed 149 lives in total, including North Sumatra Governor Rizal Nurdin and his predecessor Raja Inal Siregar. The Indonesian NTSC investigation attributed the disaster to crew error, prompting renewed scrutiny of aviation safety practices and crew training standards in Indonesia.