the better airlines in Southeast Asia. Flight 185 plunged almost vertically into the Musi River near Palembang in South Sumatra, killing all 97 passengers and seven crew. Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) could not determine the cause of the crash. An investigation by the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded the crash was the result of deliberate flight control inputs, most likely by the captain, Tsu Way Ming. He had recently lost US$2.25 million on the stock market and had taken out a life insurance policy to benefit his wife and children.

Pan Am Flight 812

April 22, 1974

107 deaths: 96 passengers, 11 crew

Route: Hong Kong – Sydney via Bali

Plane: Boeing 707-321B

The plane, named Clipper Climax, was flying from Hong Kong to Bali, and was then dueto stop at Sydney, Fiji, Honolulu and Los Angeles. While preparing to land at Denpasar, it crashed into Mesehe Mountain, about 80 km northwest of the airport. The probable cause was a faulty navigation instrument, which had prompted the captain to make a premature right-hand turn. The nationalities of the victims included: Japanese (29), American (26), Indonesian (18) and Australian (16). Clipper Climax had appeared in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, delivering Wonka bars.

Indonesian Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules

October 5, 1991

135 deaths: 121 airmen, 12 crew, 2 on the ground

Route: Jakarta – Bandung

Plane: Lockheed C-130 Hercules

After taking off from the military’s Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, the Hercules crashed in East Jakarta. About three minutes into the flight, one of the plane’s four engines caught fire