Family Pleaded for Help After Copilot’s Smartwatch Recorded Movement After Crash
The family and friends of Farhan gunawan, the co-pilot of the ATR 42-500 aircraft that crashed on January 17, 2026, made desperate pleas for assistance after his smartwatch registered 13,000 steps following the accident. The plane whent down in a remote area of Bulusaraung Mountain, Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi.
A woman identified as the sister of Farhan’s girlfriend revealed the mysterious activity from the smartwatch, wich remained active after the crash. According to reports from Kompas.com, the search and rescue operation has been hampered by the tough terrain.
The family recovered Farhan’s phone, which was found by search teams in the forest and handed over to Dian. The phone remained connected to Farhan’s smartwatch.
“His phone was connected to his smartwatch. It turned out there was movement recorded – steps taken by Farhan,” she said in a video circulating online.
She detailed that on Sunday morning at 6:00 WITA (Central Indonesian Time), a few steps were recorded. This number increased significantly throughout the day.
“From 6 a.m. there were a few steps, then more were added at 10 a.m. and continued throughout the night. I beg you, Mr. President Prabowo Subianto, please save Farhan,” she pleaded, visibly distraught.
Arman Amiruddin, a Staff SAR Mission Coordinator for Basarnas Makassar, confirmed the recovery of the phone. The locked phone was given to the family, who then brought it to the South Sulawesi Police Cyber team for analysis, as reported by Kompas.com.
Arman confirmed that the data on the device did show movement. “We requested that they track the last coordinates. As according to the report he sent, at 06:53 WITA on Sunday, 1,000 steps were recorded. Then, until 05:33 WITA, there were 13,000 steps,” Arman said at the Aju SAR Post in Tompobulu Village on Monday, January 19, 2026.
However, Arman stressed that authorities have not been able to determine Farhan’s condition. Search teams have not heard any calls for help during three days of searching the area.