SilkAir Flight 185 – Musi River Dive
Date of Incident: December 19, 1997
Location: Musi River, near Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia
🧭 What Happened
SilkAir Flight 185, a Boeing 737-300, was en route from Jakarta to Singapore when it entered a sudden, near-vertical dive from cruising altitude and crashed into the Musi River. All 104 onboard were killed. The aircraft disintegrated on impact, and only six victims were positively identified. The cause remains disputed: Indonesia’s NTSC declared it undetermined, while the U.S. NTSB concluded it was deliberate pilot action.
✈️ Aircraft Details
Flight Number: MI185 / SLK185
Aircraft Type: Boeing 737-36N
Registration: 9V-TRF
Departure: Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (CGK)
Destination: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
Fatalities: All 104 onboard
Survivors: 0
🔍 Key Factors
The CVR stopped recording at 16:05 UTC, followed by the FDR at 16:11 UTC. Radar showed the aircraft at FL350 until a sudden dive began at 16:12. The descent exceeded Mach 1 briefly, causing structural breakup. The NTSC found no mechanical failure; the NTSB concluded the dive was manually commanded, likely by the captain. A civil lawsuit later blamed a rudder servo valve defect, though this contradicted official findings.
📆 Timeline of Events
- 08:37 UTC – Departure from Jakarta
- 08:53 UTC – Reaches cruising altitude FL350
- 09:05 UTC – CVR stops recording
- 09:11 UTC – FDR stops recording
- 09:12 UTC – Aircraft enters rapid dive
- 09:13 UTC – Impact with Musi River
🎙️ Cockpit Voice & Flight Data
“I’ll get some water.” — Captain Tsu (last CVR entry)
The CVR ended shortly after the captain left the cockpit. No distress call was made. The FDR showed no anomalies prior to the dive. Both recorders were recovered and analyzed by NTSC and NTSB. The CVR circuit breaker was likely pulled manually, as no electrical click was recorded.
⚙️ Aircraft Systems & Failures
- No mechanical failure found in recovered systems
- Horizontal stabilizer jackscrew showed full nose-down input
- Rudder PCU tested and found defect-free by manufacturer
- Aircraft exceeded design limits during descent
🛡️ Aftermath and Reforms
- NTSC final report declared cause undetermined
- NTSB concluded deliberate pilot action
- Civil lawsuit blamed rudder servo valve; settled out of court
- SilkAir retired flight number MI185
- ICAO emphasized recorder integrity and CRM training