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Adam Air Flight 574
Bethany K. Crumley
School of Aeronautics, Liberty University
AVIA 300: Aviation Safety
Dr. Morrison
April 18, 2025
Adam Air Flight 574
On January 1, 2007, Indonesia’s world turned upside down as Adam Air Flight 574, a
Boeing 737-400 plane, fell into the Java Sea. Consisting of 102 passengers and crew members
aboard. This became known as among the deadliest aviation crashes. An investigation will later
determine that the “Inertial Reference System (IRS) of the aircraft failed” (Sorooshian, 2023, p.
3472). The failure of the Inertial Reference System (IRS) and the events that followed
demonstrate how technical failures, when coupled with human mistakes and organizational
faults, can result in critical problems.
AT 1:59pm the ageing Boeing plane was off in the air. Their destination was from
Surabaya to Manado. Soon, it ran into a thunderstorm, making things tougher for pilot Refri
Widodo and copilot Yogo Susanto. Air traffic controllers tried to get in touch, but the pilots got
distracted by technical issues with the IRS. When they attempted to reset the IRS, the autopilot
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disengaged, and the aircraft began to lean severely to the right. They were too focused on fixing
the problem, to notice the plane was slow turning and going down fast. Later, Flight 574 went
into an uncontrollable descent unable to pull out of. Failing to regain control, it crashed into the
Java Sea killing 102 people aboard. These frightening last seconds questioned viewers about
what went wrong.
It started back in the early 2000s, where it was “a period of exponential growth in
Indonesia’s airline industry” (Cloudberg, 2021). Founded by a wealthy businesswoman Sandra
Ang and Agung Loksano, soon became one of the fastest-growing airline in Indonesia. However,
faced a lot of criticism for false advertising. Along with the condition of the plane being
questionable. Yet, one of the biggest problems noted by Cloudberg (2021) was, that “Pilots had
been reporting problems with the IRS for months”. The final report of Flight 747 was noted that
it didn’t consist of good oversight, maintenance, or pilot training. Due to lack of the airlines they
choose to overlook the problem because it was too complex and hard to detect the quick fixes.
It is important to look at that another big issue was the pilots lack working together during the
flight.
Effective Crew Resource Management is vital, as it relies on working together and open
communication. When it fails, accident often occurs. In this instance, the pilots were likely
illequipped to handle extreme stress situations and couldn’t decide on the right decisions. Thus,
neglecting what was important, the need to fly the aircraft. To prevent such incidents, training
program are enforce in pilots so that they can obtain to fly first and solve problems second.
Ultimately, Adam Air flight 574 crashed because the pilots lost their awareness of the plane’s
sates.
Looking back at Flight 574, it is chilling to think about how a few overlooked problems
can cause such a big mess. The issues concerning the IRS, are not just an equipment failure, but
a cultural weakness of the airlines. Due to poor decision making and bad training the pilots were
focused on troubleshooting instead of flying the aircraft. Focusing too heavily on fixing technical
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problems results in poor situational awareness and aircraft control. Thus, affecting key areas of
aviation safety.
While the reality of Flight 574 shaped aviation regulations in Indonesia, unfortunately,
problems and death tolls came with it. One should keep in mind that safety doesn’t depend on
regulations. Instead, it’s always applied, and assumed by all the players in the industry. It’s
probably similar to having a team for any sport. When everyone plays their role, it helps boost
the chances of winning. Changes were made which told of the commitment to long-term
improvement in safety culture; following stricter maintenance protocols and better training
procedures.
Air Flight 574, reminds me of many valuable lessons that could be learned. It is always
important to not only believe but verify any tools or information I’m working with. The aircraft
had IRS issues that gave conflicting information. Due to this, the pilots weren't sure what to
believe. It is always good to very important information or anything, instead of just believing in
it. Always ask a question or request supporting facts in anything you do. Whether this is career-
wise or day-to-day activities. For example, when you want to go out with your friends verify that
you’re available.
Another personal lesson is teamwork and communication. The pilots did not share their
responsibilities effectively. Both were occupied trying to fix the navigation issue, therefore
nobody was focusing on flying the plane. In any scenario, whether that is a group assignment or
a challenging project, it’s vital to assign roles on who does what and talk with one another. If
people are not communicating well, problems will arise quickly and lead to more dangers or
mistakes. Successful teamwork is about helping each other or noticing things that one person
could miss.
Lastly, the tale reminds me of the importance of preparation and training. The pilots
were not prepared well for this kind of emergency. The lack of preparation was evident and only
increased the danger of crashing the plane. To me, this reminds me that I should take time to
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learn and practice skills before I try challenging things so I will be ready if something goes awry.
No matter if it is studying for a big exam, learning how to play new sports, or doing Adam
anything I am unfamiliar with. This story makes me think about the fact that preparation is not
just having facts but also being prepared to stay calm and solve problems step by step.
References
Adam Air. (2007). Adam Air flight 574 CVR transcript: Cockpit voice recorder database.
Tailstrike.
https://tailstrike.com/database/01-january-2007-adamair-574/
Cloudberg, A. (2021). Killed by corruption: The crash of Adam Air flight 574.
https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/killed-by-corruption-the-crash-of-adam-airflight-
574-1c684b57e2da
Sorooshian, A., Alexandrov, D., Bell, D., Bennett, R., Betito, G., Burton, P., Buzanowicz, E., Cairns,
B., Chemyakin, V., Chen, G., Choi Y., Collister, L., Cook, L., Corral F., Crosbie C., Bastiann.,
P., Diskin, S., Dmitrovic, S., & Zuidema, P. (2019). Spatially coordinated airborne data and
complementary products for aerosol, gas, cloud, and meteorological: the NASA ACTIVATE
dataset. Earth System Science Data, 15(8), 3419-3472. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-
3419-2023
