Pilot Saves Lives Of 148 Passengers After Hearing ‘Voice’ Telling Him To Take Off 3 Minutes Early

Some moments in life defy explanation. A last-minute hesitation before stepping into traffic, an inexplicable urge to take a different route home, a gut feeling that changes everything. Science calls it intuition—an unconscious processing of details too subtle for the rational mind to grasp. But for one pilot, this fleeting whisper of instinct wasn’t just a feeling—it was the difference between life and death.

On a seemingly ordinary day, Batik Air Flight ID-6231 prepared for takeoff from Sulawesi, Indonesia. The weather was calm, the flight crew followed routine procedures, and 148 passengers settled into their seats, unaware that fate was about to intervene. Then, something unusual happened. A voice—whether internal or divine—urged the captain to take off earlier than scheduled. Three minutes sooner than planned. It wasn’t standard protocol. It wasn’t logical. But he listened.

The Flight That Wasn’t Meant to Escape

For Batik Airways pilot Ricosetta Mafella, September 28, 2018, began like any other flight day. But as he prepared for departure from Palu, Indonesia, an unexplainable feeling crept into his mind—an urgency he couldn’t shake. It wasn’t logic or reason; it was a whisper, a voice in his head telling him, “Just get out of here immediately.”

Something felt off, though nothing seemed visibly wrong. Trusting his instincts, Mafella urged his crew to hurry through pre-flight procedures. Every second felt precious. The aircraft taxied onto the runway, and at exactly 6:02 PM, three minutes ahead of schedule, Batik Airways Flight 6321 took off.

As the plane climbed into the sky, Mafella glanced out of the cockpit window. What he saw was unlike anything he had ever witnessed—a massive wave, growing larger by the second, moving with unstoppable force toward the coastline. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake that had just struck Palu was now triggering a tsunami.

Instinctively, he reached for the radio, trying to warn the air traffic control tower. But there was no response. The realization wouldn’t come until later—the controller who had cleared him for takeoff, Anthonius Gunawan Agung, had stayed behind, ensuring the plane’s safe departure at the cost of his own life.

If Mafella had waited those extra three minutes, his plane might never have left the ground. If he had ignored that whisper, the fate of 148 passengers and crew could have been tragically different.

Sometimes, life doesn’t give us clear explanations. It speaks in quiet nudges, a feeling in our gut, a whisper in our minds. That day, Mafella listened. And because he did, 148 people got to live another day.

The Final Act of Anthonius Gunawan Agung

On September 28, 2018, as a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Palu, Indonesia, chaos erupted at the city’s airport. The ground trembled, buildings cracked, and panic spread like wildfire. Inside the air traffic control tower, Anthonius Gunawan Agung, a 21-year-old controller, was doing his job—guiding planes to safety.

As the earthquake intensified, his colleagues fled the crumbling structure, knowing that every second counted. But Agung stayed behind. One last plane—Batik Airways Flight 6321—was still on the runway, waiting for clearance to take off. Instead of running, he chose to ensure its safe departure.

With the tower shaking violently, he remained at his post and issued the final instruction: “Batik 6321, clear for takeoff.” As the plane carrying 148 passengers ascended, the control tower began to collapse around him.

By the time Agung attempted to escape, his exit was blocked. With no other choice, he jumped from the fourth floor of the disintegrating tower. The impact shattered his leg and caused severe internal injuries, but he was still alive.

Rescuers rushed him to a nearby hospital, but the facility lacked the resources to treat him. As he awaited a helicopter to transfer him to a better-equipped medical center, his body gave out. Anthonius Gunawan Agung succumbed to his injuries, giving his life for the safety of others.

He could have saved himself. He could have run. But instead, he chose duty over fear, responsibility over survival. His final act ensured that 148 people lived to tell their stories.

Agung may not have been a soldier or a firefighter, but he was a hero in every sense of the word. His name deserves to be remembered.

The Catastrophe That Followed

Image source: Pexels

Far below the ascending plane, the world was coming apart. The earthquake struck with an intensity that shattered the city of Palu, leveling buildings, collapsing bridges, and turning streets into chaos. What had been an ordinary afternoon became a scene of devastation in mere seconds. The airport, once a place of routine and order, suffered immense structural damage, rendering its runways nearly useless. But the true horror was yet to come.

The violent tremors triggered a colossal tsunami, a towering wall of water racing toward the coastline with relentless force. In moments, it engulfed everything—homes, roads, vehicles, and even the airstrip where Batik Air Flight 6321 had been waiting just minutes earlier. Had the plane remained on the ground, its fate would have been sealed. The earthquake’s violent shaking could have made takeoff impossible, leaving the aircraft trapped. And even if it had managed to lift off, the tsunami would have ensured there was no escape. The very spot where passengers had calmly boarded was now underwater, buried beneath debris.

Inside the cabin, those aboard had no idea how close they had come to disaster. Some flipped through magazines, others settled in for the journey ahead, unaware that a three-minute difference had spared them from catastrophe. The weight of that realization would only come later, as the world learned of the devastation below. A seemingly unexplainable decision—one that defied logic, yet saved 148 lives—had made all the difference.