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2007 AerianTur-M Antonov An-26 crash

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2007 Balad aircraft crash
Occurrence
DateJanuary 9, 2007 (2007-01-09)
SummaryCause in dispute
SiteBalad, Iraq
Aircraft typeAntonov An-26
OperatorAerianTur-M
RegistrationER-26068[1]
Passengers30[2]
Crew5[2]
Fatalities34[2]
Injuries1
Survivors1[2]

The 2007 Balad aircraft crash was a January 9, 2007 airplane incident involving an Antonov An-26 airliner, which crashed while attempting to land at the U.S. military base in Balad, Iraq.[3] The crash killed 34 people aboard and left one passenger critically injured. Officials claim the crash was caused by poor weather conditions, but other sources claim that this is a cover-up and the plane was actually shot down by a missile.[2][1][4]

Aircraft

The aircraft was an Antonov An-26B-100, registration number ER-26068.[5] It made its first flight in 1981, and was powered by two Ivchenko AI-24VT engines.[5] An-26s are a twin-engined light turboprop transport aircraft derived from the Antonov An-24, with particular attention made to potential military use. It has a modified rear fuselage with a large cargo ramp.

Background

The aircraft, which took off from Adana, Turkey,[6] at about 0400 GMT,[7] was owned by the Moldovan company AerianTur-M, and on the day of the accident had been chartered to a Turkish construction company, Kulak,[3] who had been contracted to build a new hangar at the air base.[8] The aircraft hired by BSA Aviation Ltd (charterer) was carrying both cargo and passengers; a total of 1,289 kgs (2,842 lbs) of cargo was on board, compared with the 5,000 kgs (11,023 lbs) capacity.[9] Turkish authorities told CNN Türk television that of the passengers, there were 29 Turkish workers, three Moldovans, a Russian, a Ukrainian, and an American on board, even though this totals one more than the number of people known to be on board.[10] Later, the Russian consul general in Antalya said the Russian and the Ukrainian also had Moldovan citizenship.[2] Most of those on board were construction workers who worked at the base. Brig. Gen. Robin Rand, commander of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, said "These brave civilian-contract employees were in Iraq helping us accomplish our mission, and their loss is a tragedy," adding "Our condolences go out to the families in their time of loss."[11]

Crash

The plane crashed at 0700 GMT (0800 CET),[12] about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) away from Balad Air Base, the main hub of US military logistics in Iraq, while attempting to land.[13] An anonymous ministry official told the Associated Press that the pilot had already aborted one landing attempt due to poor weather conditions.[14] Although the aircraft was said to have crashed due to fog, one eyewitness, a relative of one of the deceased, said that he watched a missile strike the right hand side of the fuselage while standing just 300-400 meters (984-1,312 ft) from where the aircraft went down.[2] The man also said that multiple other eyewitnesses also saw the aircraft get shot down. İsmail Kulak, a partner in the ownership of the Kulak Construction Company, was among the dead.[15]

Emergency response

Because the aircraft crashed in a military base, the emergency response was supplied by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force. Helicopters from the Air Force's 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron transported the dead from the scene.[11] Of the 35 passengers and crew members on board the flight, two individuals were pulled alive from the wreckage. One died after being transported by an Army ground ambulance to the Air Force Theater Hospital.[16] The other survivor, a Turk named Abdülkadir Akyüz,[17] was carried by an Army ground ambulance to the Air Force Theater Hospital, where he received life-saving emergency surgery.[11]

Reaction from the Islamic Army in Iraq

See also: Islamic Army in Iraq

The day after the accident, the insurgent group Islamic Army in Iraq, using a web site known by authorities to be used by the group, claimed that they shot the plane down. The statement said that their members had "opened fire on a plane trying to land at an American base near Balad from different directions, using medium-range weapons... With the help of God, they were able to shoot it down."[4]

Investigation

File:Balad crash recorders.jpg
The recovered flight recorders from the crashed aircraft

After the wreckage was photographed in situ, the army hauled it away on flatbed trucks to the base, where it is presently secured.[11] As well as the ongoing question of fog, Ahmed al-Mussawi, spokesman for the Iraqi transport ministry, said one day after the crash that "It must have been technical failure or a lack of aviation experience (on the part of the crew),".[18] The crash is under investigation by the Iraqi government, American government and Moldovan government, but the Turkish government has been denied permission to join the investigative team.[19] The Air Force and the Army say they are willing to help with the investigation.[11][4][20] Ali Ariduru, deputy head of the Turkish aviation authority, said initial information indicated there was no technical malfunction on the plane.[20]

There is confusion as in to the whereabouts of the aircraft's Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder (FDR and CVR, commonly referred to as "black boxes"). The Turkish Foreign Ministry claims they have been shipped to Antonov's Moscow headquarters, but Turkish Minister of Transportation Binali Yıldırım claims they are still in Iraq, with the rest of the debris.[19] All that is confirmed is that they have been recovered, which occurred on January 30.[21] He has also publicly claimed that the plane was indeed shot down, although he claims that this was done by American troops, and that the reasoning behind this was that the flight was involved in supplying weapons to Islamic insurgents in Iraq.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Moldova plane crash in Iraq tied to insurgency arms smuggling - Tiraspol Times & Weekly Review - Obtained February 26, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Moldovan plane that crashed in Iraq was downed - eyewitness". Russian News and Information Agency Novosti. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
  3. ^ a b 32 Killed in Cargo Plane Crash in Iraq - cbsnews.com - Obtained January 28, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c Islamic Army in Iraq claims responsibility for downing - Turkish Daily News - Obtained January 28, 2007.
  5. ^ a b ASN Aircraft accident descriptionAntonov 26B-100 ER-26068 - Aviation Safety Network - Obtained February 26, 2007.
  6. ^ "Plane crash in Balad, Iraq, kills at least 31, mostly Turks". latimes.com. Times Wire Services. 2007-01-10. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  7. ^ Turkey: Iraq plane crash kills 30 - CNN - Obtained February 26, 2007.
  8. ^ Delayed passport saves construction worker's life - Today's Zaman - Obtained February 27, 2007.
  9. ^ Weather blamed for plane crash near Baghdad - Turkey Daily News - Obtained February 26, 2007.
  10. ^ "Moldovan plane crashes in Iraq killing 30 Turkish workers". Russian News and Information Agency Novosti. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
  11. ^ a b c d e U.S. Military Responds to Civilian Aircraft Crash - NewsBlaze - Obtained May 27, 2009.
  12. ^ Un avion transportant des ouvriers turcs s'écrase en Irak: 34 tués - Radio France Internationale - January 9, 2007, Obtained July 3, 2007. In French
  13. ^ Thirty-one die in Iraq plane crash-Turkish official - Reuters AlertNet - Obtained February 26, 2007.
  14. ^ Cargo Plane Down In Northern Iraq - Aero-News - Obtained January 28, 2007.
  15. ^ Cargo plane carrying Turkish workers crashes in Baghdad The plane carrying workers crashed 200 meters to runway - SABAH Newspaper (English version) - Obtained May 27, 2009.
  16. ^ Nellis Airmen respond to civilian aircraft crash - United States Air Force - Obtained January 18, 2007.
  17. ^ Lone survivor of Baghdad crash to return home - Turkish Daily News - Obtained May 27, 2009.
  18. ^ Iraq blames technical error for plane crash - Iraq Updates - Obtained February 27, 2007.
  19. ^ a b The puzzle of the Moldovan plane crash continues - Today's Zaman - Obtained February 25, 2007.
  20. ^ a b Cargo plane from Turkey crashes in Iraq, killing 34 - ContraCostaTimes.com - Obtained May 27, 2009.
  21. ^ Izvestia (2007-01-30). "Flight data recorders of Moldovan An-27 are found in Iraq". Retrieved 2007-03-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Template:Ru icon View translated version.
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