Merpati Nusantara Airlines (1971)

On November 10,1971, Vickers Viscount Merpati Nusantara Airlines, registered with PK-MVS, crashed in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia, after they notified their air traffic controllers that they could not reach their destination due to bad weather. All 69 people on board were killed in the incident.

At that time, this accident was the worst in Indonesian history; now this incident is the ninth worst in the history of aviation accidents in Indonesia. Still the third worst for the accident that befell Vickers Viscount.

Accident
The aircraft flies between Kemayoran Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia and Tabing Airport, a former commercial airport in Padang, Indonesia. Five minutes before arriving in Padang, air traffic controllers lose radio contact with this aircraft.ATC at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport, Palembang, Sumatra, reported that the aircraft declared an alarm from the aircraft. The flight crew reported being unable to see land due to bad weather and short visibility.The aircraft then crashed in the Indian Ocean,killing all 62 passengers and seven crew on board.

Passenger and crew
All passengers who are on a plane are Indonesian citizens, except doctors who are German citizens and their wives, and a helicopter pilot is a citizen of the United Kingdom who works in Indonesia. Eight children included being passengers on this plane.

The impact
Three days after the accident a piece of the rubble was found floating 75 miles off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Fishermen found a seat from this plane between Beringin and the Katang-Katang islands.The Indonesian Navy found these aircraft safety clothing and jackets.