SilkAir Flight 185
On December 19, 1997 a SilkAir Boeing 737-300 operated as SilkAir Flight 185 was a flight from Jakarta to Singapore with 97 passengers and 7 crew members on-board, which crashed into the Musi River for unknown reasons killing all 104 people on-board.
 Computerized image that recreates the moment of the accident. | |
| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 December 1997 |
| Summary | Cause disputed:
|
| Site | Musi River, Palembang, Indonesia 2°27′30″S 104°56′12″E / 2.45833°S 104.93667°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-36N |
| Operator | SilkAir |
| Registration | 9V-TRF |
| Flight origin | Soekarno–Hatta Int'l Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Destination | Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore |
| Occupants | 104 |
| Passengers | 97 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 104 |
| Survivors | 0 |
The cause of the crash remains disputed for the National Transportation Safety Committee, but the National Transportation Safety Board concludes the crash as a pilot suicide by the captain. But the Los Angeles Court thinks that the cause of the crash was a rudder malfunction.
Passengers and crew[change | change source]
SilkAir issued a press release on 19 December 1997 with a passenger count by nationality,[1] and another the following day with crew details and a complete passenger manifest.[2]
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Singapore |
40 | 6 | 46 |
 Indonesia |
23 | 0 | 23 |
 Malaysia |
10 | 0 | 10 |
 Mexico |
7 | 0 | 7 |
 United States |
5 | 0 | 5 |
 France |
5 | 0 | 5 |
 Belgium |
4 | 0 | 4 |
 Germany |
4 | 0 | 4 |
 Cuba |
3 | 0 | 3 |
 Philippines |
3 | 0 | 3 |
 United Kingdom |
3 | 0 | 3 |
 Japan |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Canada |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Netherlands |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Italy |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Israel |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Austria |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 India |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Romania |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Taiwan |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 South Africa |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Argentina |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Spain |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Venezuela |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Australia |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 New Zealand |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 97 | 7 | 104 |
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Report No. 3, Friday 19 December 1997, 2145hrs (Singapore time)" (Press release). SilkAir. 1997-12-19. Archived from the original on 1998-02-24. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- ↑ "Report No. 7, Saturday 20 December 1997, 1100 hrs (Singapore time)" (Press release). SilkAir. 1997-12-20. Archived from the original on 1998-02-24. Retrieved 2021-11-03.