Boeing 737 incident near Merauke-Papua Island, Id, January 26, 2023
On January 26, 2023 at about 9:05 am local time, a Boeing 737, registered PKLFO, suffered minor damage in an incident during taxi (to runway) near Merauke-Papua Island (Sentani Airport). It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. No one was hurt; 129 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 26, 2023 · about 9:05 am local time
- Place
- Merauke-Papua Island, Indonesia · Sentani Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 129 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 900 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- PKLFO · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Ground collision during taxi (to runway) defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Pt. Lion Mentari Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: WAKK Merauke-Papua Island
- Destination: WAJJ Jayapura-Papua Island
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 122 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.