MAKASSAR, Indonesia — Two Indonesian military aircraft ran off the runway at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport and Air Base on consecutive days in late August, forcing back-to-back closures at a field that handles both military and commercial traffic in South Sulawesi.
An Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) Sukhoi Su-30MK2 fighter jet overran the western end of Runway 13 on August 24 during a high-speed simulated takeoff test following a heavy maintenance overhaul, coming to rest nose-down in a grassy, sloped area roughly 30 meters beyond the runway. “We can confirm that the incident occurred on the western side of Runway 13 at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport,” said Taufan Yudhistira, an airport operator official, who added that flight operations continued using the airport’s second runway while the jet was evacuated.
A Navy Aircraft Follows the Next Morning
Roughly 24 hours later, on August 25, an Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) CASA C-212 maritime patrol aircraft skidded off the intersecting Runway 03-21 at approximately 11:25 a.m. local time. Emergency teams secured all personnel aboard without injuries and towed the aircraft clear of the runway threshold by mid-afternoon. Because the airfield’s two runways intersect, air traffic controllers rerouted commercial flights to Runway 13-31 while recovery crews cleared the disabled patrol aircraft from the other strip.
“The incident on the north-south runway was promptly managed by emergency personnel, and flight operations remained fully operational using our second runway,” Yudhistira said of the second event, adding that joint technical teams inspected both runways before returning them to active service.
A Shared-Use Airfield’s FOD Exposure
Sultan Hasanuddin operates as a mixed military-civil aerodrome, meaning debris and disturbed pavement from a military runway excursion carries direct consequences for commercial traffic sharing the same infrastructure — a risk profile similar to other recent military runway closures at joint-use airfields. Each excursion required a full runway inspection before civil operations could resume on the affected strip — standard practice to confirm no aircraft parts, displaced pavement, or other foreign object debris remained before clearing the runway for the next arrival or departure.
Technical evaluations into both incidents are ongoing. Air Force officials are examining braking system performance during the Sukhoi’s post-overhaul ground roll, while Navy technicians are reviewing landing gear telemetry from the CASA C-212. No cause has been confirmed for either event, and investigators have not indicated whether the two incidents, involving different services and different aircraft types, share any common factor beyond occurring at the same airfield on consecutive days.
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