Turkish Airlines Flight 6491
_11_January_2017.jpg) TC-MCL, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed at Maastricht Aachen Airport on 11 January 2017, 5 days prior to the crash | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 January 2017 |
| Summary | Under investigation |
| Site | Residential area near Manas International Airport, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan 43°03′26″N 74°26′14″E / 43.05722°N 74.43722°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-412F |
| Operator | ACT Airlines on behalf of Turkish Airlines |
| Registration | TC-MCL |
| Flight origin | Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong |
| Stopover | Manas International Airport, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Destination | Istanbul Atatürk Airport,Istanbul, Turkey |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 38 (all 4 on board; 34 on ground) |
| Injuries | At least 15 (on ground) |
| Survivors | 0 |
Turkish Airlines Flight 6491 (TK6491/THY6491) was a scheduled international cargo flight operated by ACT Airlines, on behalf of Turkish Cargo, from Hong Kong to Istanbul via Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. On 16 January 2017, the Boeing 747-412F flying this route crashed during landing at its scheduled stopover at Manas International Airport in Bishkek. At least 38 people, including all four crew members onboard and 34 residents located by the airport, were killed in the accident. The incident is currently under investigation.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 747-400F, registered as TC-MCL and with manufacturer's serial number 32897.[1] The aircraft was originally delivered to Singapore Airlines Cargo and had flown a total of over 45,000 hours and 8,000 cycles as of June 2016. Its last C-check maintenance check had been completed on 6 November 2015.[2]
The aircraft belonged to Istanbul-based cargo company ACT Airlines[3] which had acquired the aircraft in 2015 and had begun operating it on behalf of Turkish Cargo.[2]
Accident
At 07:19 local time (01:19 UTC) on 16 January 2017, the aircraft crashed near the end of runway 26 at Manas International Airport, amid thick fog.[4] According to initial reports, the plane failed to regain enough altitude while attempting a go around. It crashed into terrain and destroyed several houses.[5] Kyrgyz authorities later stated that the crew were trying to land the plane determinedly instead of aborting the landing.[6]
At least 38 people were killed in the crash, including all four crew members and 34 residents of Dacha-SU, a residential area located approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the west of the airport.[7][8][9][4] Among the dead were 17 children.[8]
Witnesses and rescuers reported that they found the pilot still conscious on his seat and secured with his seat belt, from which had to be cut free. He was later taken to hospital by ambulance.[10]
In addition, at least fifteen people on the ground were injured, including six children.[11][12] At least 23 houses were destroyed at the crash site.[9] Manas International Airport was closed, with all flights cancelled, following the accident.[13]
Immediate response
Deputy Prime Minister Mukhammetkalyi Abulgaziyev reported that, by late morning, more than 1,000 rescue workers were at the scene.[3] Minister of Health Talantbek Batyraliyev reported that by 11:46 a.m. local time, around 56 doctors and psychologists and 14 ambulance crews had been dispatched to the scene.[14]
A number of heads of state expressed condolences, including the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan,[15][16] as well as UN representatives[17] and the Pope.[18]
17 January was declared a day of national mourning in Kyrgyzstan.[19]
Investigation
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Kyrgyzstan's Emergency Situations Minister, Kubatbek Boronov, stated that it was foggy at Manas when the plane crashed, but that weather conditions were not critical. By the afternoon of 16 January, one of the two flight recorders had been recovered.[20]
Deputy Prime Minister Abulgaziyev suggested that the cause may have been pilot error, noting that 11 aircraft had landed safely, despite the same weather conditions, in the previous day. He added that the aircraft had attempted to land twice and had damaged the landing lights at one stage.[14] This statement was at odds with another official statement that the plane crashed during its first landing attempt.[6]
The Turkish Transportation Ministry said it had sent two experts from its accident investigation board to Bishkek to assist Kyrgyz authorities.[3]
A Boeing technical team travelled to the accident site to provide assistance at the request and under the direction of the National Transportation Safety Board.[21]
Many initial press responses stated that a Turkish Airlines plane was involved in the accident. In response, Turkish Airlines released a statement on Twitter that neither the aircraft nor the crew were theirs, calling it an "ACT Airlines accident".[22] Nevertheless, the flight was operated under a Turkish Airlines flight number.
Aftermath
On 17 January, the Kyrgyz press reported that ACT Airlines had declared the intent to pay the victims compensation for all material and immaterial losses, citing a press release on the ACT Airlines web site.[23] The press release itself, however, stated only that losses were covered by insurance.[24]
See also
- 1997 Irkutsk Antonov An-124 crash – a Russian Air Force cargo aircraft crash in a residential area with a high number of ground fatalities
- El Al Flight 1862 – another Boeing 747 cargo aircraft crash with a high number of ground fatalities
References
- ^ "MyCargo Airlines TC-MCL (Boeing 747 - MSN 32897) (Ex 9V-SFL)". Airfleets Aviation. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Turkish cargo Boeing 747 crashes near Bishkek - Russian aviation news". Russian Aviation Insider. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ a b c "Turkish cargo jet crash kills at least 37 in Kyrgyzstan village". The Daily Telegraph. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ a b "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-412F TC-MCL Bishkek-Manas International Airport (FRU)". Aviation Safety Network. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ Hradecky, Simon (16 January 2017). "Crash: MyCargo B744 at Bishkek on Jan 16th 2017, impacted terrain on go around". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Разбившийся Боинг-747 не кружил в полосе ожидания, экипаж сразу решил совершить посадку, - замглавы «Кыргызаэронавигации»" [Deputy Head of Kyrgyzaeronagizatsiya: Crashed Boeing 747 Did Not Make a Go-Round, the Crew Decided to Land Right Away] (in Russian). AKIpress. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ "The authorities of Kyrgyzstan: in the crash of Boeing killed 38 people". 24-my.info. 24-my.info. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Kyrgyzstan Mourns Victims Of Plane Crash That Devastated Village". Radio Free Europe. RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Belarus' First Deputy Foreign Minister signs Book of Condolences at Kyrgyzstan's embassy". Belarusin Telegraph Agency. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ "Witnesses of Kyrgyzstan crash speak of loss, finding pilot". Yahoo! News. 17 January 2017.
- ^ "Kyrgyzstan Ministry Says Cargo Plane Crash Kills 37". The New York Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ "Крушение грузового Boeing в Киргизии" [The crash of the cargo Boeing cargo plane in Kyrgyzstan]. РБК (in Russian). 16 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ "Turkish cargo Boeing 747 crashes in Kyrgyzstan". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
- ^ a b "Kyrgyzstan Cargo Plane Crash: Turkish Airplane Crash Kills Dozens Near Bishkek". ibtimes.com. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ "«Разделяем боль и горе». Лидеры СНГ соболезнуют Кыргызстану - СМИ" ["We share pain and suffering": CIS leaders express condolences to Kyrgyzstan]. Mir 24 (in Russian). 16 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ "Эрдоган соболезнует Атамбаеву в связи с авиакатастрофой - СМИ" [Erdoǧan expresses condolences to Atambaev regarding the air catastrophe, according to media]. Vestnik Kavkaza (in Russian). 16 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ Avanesov, Aleksandr (17 January 2017). "Соболезнования в связи с авиакатастрофой 16 января 2017 года" [Condolences concerning the air catastrophe of 16 January 2017]. UNDP Kyrgyzstan (in Russian). Retrieved 18 January 2017.
- ^ Parolin, Pietro (16 January 2017). "Il cordoglio del Santo Padre per le vittime del disastro aereo a Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), 16.01.2017" [Condolences of the Holy Father for the victims of the air disaster in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)]. Vatican Press Service (in Italian). Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ Podolskaya, Darya (16 January 2017). "January 17 declared day of mourning". 24.kg. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ "Turkish cargo jet crash kills at least 37 in Kyrgyzstan village". The Telegraph. Our Foreign Staff. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ "News Releases/Statements". boeing.mediaroom.com. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ @TurkishAirlines (2017-01-16). "Regarding the ACT Airlines accident in Kyrgyzstan:" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Li, Natalya (17 January 2017). "АСТ Airlines выплатит компенсации всем пострадавшим в крушении Боинга" [ACT Airlines will pay a compensation to all victims of the Boeing crash] (in Russian). Vecherniy Bishkek. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ "Press Release". ACT Airlines Inc. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
External links
