Investigation ongoing into damaged nose of Garuda aircraft upon landing in Pekanbaru

A Garuda Indonesia aircraft (GA-176) sustained damage to its nose section after flying from Jakarta to Pekanbaru on Saturday, 7 March 2026. The left side of the aircraft’s fuselage nose (radome) was visibly dented upon landing at Sultan Syarif Kasim (SSK) II Airport in Pekanbaru.

General Manager Achmad of SSK II Airport confirmed the incident. The damage to the Garuda Indonesia aircraft nose was discovered after landing at 17:15 WIB (West Indonesian Time).

“Prior to this, the aircraft crew indicated an unknown airborne object during the landing preparation process. In response, the Pilot in Command immediately executed safety procedures in accordance with standard operating procedures, enabling safe and controlled landing,” according to the airport statement.

Following visual inspection by technicians and the aircraft crew, the radome or nose section was determined to have sustained significant damage, necessitating a comprehensive investigation.

“Damage to the radome (aircraft nose) on the left side of the aircraft. After landing, visual inspection by technicians and the aircraft crew revealed that the radome sustained considerable damage,” said Achmad.

Subsequently, the same aircraft was originally scheduled to return to Jakarta; however, the flight was cancelled because the aircraft must undergo further technical inspections and maintenance until it is cleared for flight operations.

“A total of 30 passengers originally scheduled on Garuda from Pekanbaru (PKU) to Soekarno Hatta Airport (CKG) were transferred to a Citilink flight from Pekanbaru to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport (HLP). They were dispatched at 19:12 WIB,” Achmad concluded.