The plane was attempting to land at Wamena Airport, which is situated at the Baliem Valley with an airport elevation of 5,085 ft. and surrounded by mountains up to 12,000 ft. high.
Indonesia, which relies heavily on air links across the archipelago, has one of Asia’s worst air safety records. The European Union banned all Indonesian-registered aircraft from flying over its airspace last year, acting on a report from the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which criticised the country’s safety standards.