| Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 542 | |
| Type: | Missing, presumed crashed into the sea |
| Occurrence Type: | Disappearance |
| Site: | Off Madura Island |
| Origin: | Juanda Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia |
| Destination: | Sepinggan Airport, Balikpapan, Indonesia |
| Aircraft Type: | Douglas DC-3 |
| Operator: | Garuda Indonesian Airways |
| Tail Number: | PK-GDY |
| Occupants: | 26 |
| Passengers: | 21 |
| Crew: | 5 |
| Fatalities: | 26 (presumed) |
| Missing: | 26 |
| Survivors: | 0 (presumed) |
Garuda Indonesia Flight 542 was a scheduled passenger flight on 3 February 1961, which was reported missing en route from Surabaya to Balikpapan. All 26 occupants on board were lost in the accident.[1]
The aircraft departed Surabaya-Juanda Airport at 11:35 pm inbound for Balikpapan. While in cruising altitude, the airplane disappeared from radar screens and presumably crashed into the Java Sea. Search and rescue operations were conducted but eventually suspended after a few days, as no trace of the aircraft nor the 26 occupants was found. The crew was unable to send any distress call prior to the accident. Due to a lack of evidence, it was not possible to determine the exact cause of the accident.