SilkAir Flight 185 killed all 104 aboard and remains one of aviation's unresolved accidents, with investigators divided over deliberate pilot action versus mechanical failure.
Key Facts
- Date of crash
- 19 December 1997
- Total fatalities
- 104 (97 passengers, 7 crew)
- Aircraft type
- Boeing 737-300
- Route
- Jakarta (CGK) to Singapore (SIN)
- Crash site
- Musi River, near Palembang, Sumatra
- NTSC conclusion
- Cause undetermined; inconclusive
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The precise cause of the crash was never conclusively established. The NTSB concluded the crash was most likely caused by deliberate flight-control inputs, pointing to the captain, while the NTSC found no concrete evidence for pilot suicide. A Parker-Hannifin hydraulic PCU initially suspected of mechanical failure was cleared by its manufacturer.
On 19 December 1997, SilkAir Flight 185, a Boeing 737-300 operating from Jakarta to Singapore, crashed into the Musi River near Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia. All 97 passengers and 7 crew members aboard were killed. The investigation was jointly conducted by Indonesia's NTSC and the US NTSB.
The crash produced a rare public disagreement between two national aviation safety bodies regarding cause determination. The NTSC declared the cause inconclusive, while the NTSB formally communicated its belief in deliberate pilot action. The case has since been cited in ongoing debates about cockpit security protocols and pilot mental health screening.