2026 Smart Aviation Cessna 208B Grand Caravan accident
Smart Aviation (PT Smart Cakrawala Aviation) Cessna 208 Caravan · Engine failure, under investigation
From Douw Aturure Airport (NBX), Nabire to Kaimana Airport (KNG), Kaimana
Event
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Unknown
- Event fatalities
- 0 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- Unknown
- Survivors
- 13
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- 0
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- Charter & commuter
Cessna 208 Caravan
- Aircraft type
- Cessna 208
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- PK-SNS
- Onboard fatalities
- 0
- Route
- From Douw Aturure Airport (NBX), NabireTo Kaimana Airport (KNG), Kaimana
Approximate · Coordinates from the Wikipedia article; not checked against an investigation report.
From the Wikipedia article
On 27 January 2026, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operated by Smart Aviation on a regional flight from Douw Aturure Airport (NBX), Nabire, to Kaimana Airport (KNG), Kaimana, ditched near the shore of Logpond Beach (Karadiri), Nabire, Central Papua Province. All passengers and crew members on board were reported to be safe.
Accident
The Cessna 208 took off from Douw Aturure airport in Nabire bound for Kaimana airport at approximately 12:45–13:01 WIT. Shortly after take-off, the pilot detected an engine malfunction that caused a loss of speed.
The pilot then contacted Air Traffic Control (ATC) and decided to carry out a Return to Base (RTB). ATC cleared the aircraft to approach runway 17.
However, while manoeuvring back to the airport, the aircraft continued to lose altitude and could not reach the runway.[ 12 ] For the safety of the passengers and crew, the pilot decided to make an emergency landing in a coastal area near Logpond or Kaladiri Beach, located at the end of the runway of Douw Aturure Nabire Airport.
The aircraft finally landed in shallow water or on the shore at approximately 13:14–13:40 WIT.
Investigation and cause
Investigation
The Ministry of Transport, through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, indicated that based on preliminary reports, the incident is suspected to have been caused by an engine malfunction.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation coordinated with the flight operator, the security forces and the relevant agencies to ensure that the handling of the incident was carried out safely and under control. The National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC/KNKT) plans to carry out a further investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident.
According to the latest official statement, the technical cause of the incident is still under investigation.
Translated into English with AI assistance from the Spanish Wikipedia article “Accidente del Cessna 208B Grand Caravan de Smart Aviation en 2026” (revision 171821996, retrieved 2026-09-19) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out; the translation may contain errors, and long articles were cut to their first 700 words. Read the article
Sources
Spanish Wikipedia article: Accidente del Cessna 208B Grand Caravan de Smart Aviation en 2026
- Translation
- Into English with AI assistance; names of linked operators and aircraft types from Wikidata. It may contain errors.
- Revision
- 171821996 · 2026-01-31 · retrieved 2026-09-19
- Wikidata
- Q137909857
- Licence
- Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
- Record
- es Wikipedia article "Accidente del Cessna 208B Grand Caravan de Smart Aviation en 2026" (page 11419949, revision 171821996), translated into English with AI assistance
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site; country from Wikidata (P17)
- Map position
- Wikipedia article coordinates
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- Reviewed correction (2026-09-26): A small operator flying a Cessna Caravan with passengers on a regional flight in Papua: a commuter or bush operation. The article: "a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operated by Smart Aviation on a regional flight from Douw Aturure Airport (NBX), Nabire, to Kaimana Airport (KNG), Kaimana"
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Spanish Wikipedia article's infobox, translated into English with AI assistance, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.