On 25 December 2012, an Antonov An-72 military transport aircraft operated by the Kazakh Armed Forces crashed about 20 km (12 mi) from the city of Shymkent, Kazakhstan, where the aircraft was preparing to land. All 27 people on board died in the crash.[1][2][3]
 UP-72859, the aircraft involved, photographed a month before the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 25 December 2012 |
| Summary | Crashed on descent short of runway in bad weather |
| Site | Shymkent, Kazakhstan 42°30′00″N 69°49′59″E / 42.500°N 69.833°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Antonov An-72-100 |
| Operator | Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan |
| Registration | UP-72859 |
| Flight origin | Astana International Airport, Astana, Kazakhstan |
| Destination | Shymkent International Airport, Shymkent, Kazakhstan |
| Occupants | 27 |
| Passengers | 20 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 27 |
| Survivors | 0 |
History of the flight
editThe aircraft had been flying from Kazakhstan's capital of Astana to Shymkent, and was carrying seven crew and 20 members of the Kazakh border patrol, including its leader, the acting director of the Kazakhstan Border Guard Service, Colonel Turganbek Stambekov.[2]
Accident
editThe accident occurred at about 19:00 local time (1300 UTC) as the aircraft was descending to land.[4] According to local media, the aircraft had been flying at an altitude around 800 m (2,600 ft), when it suddenly crashed to the ground.[4] Emergency crews were dispatched from Shymkent in response. However, the head of the local emergency services department stated, "the plane was destroyed by fire. Only fragments [were] left."[5] Kazakhstan's National Security Committee issued a statement confirming that all 27 people on board had died in the crash,[5] and also said that an investigation into the incident has begun.[6]
Investigation
editThe investigation commission found out that failure of the autopilot and radio altimeter combined with poor visibility, and the pilot failing to follow instruction to use the barometric altimeter caused the crash.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Military plane carrying 27 crashes in Kazakhstan". Agence France-Presse. 25 December 2012. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ "Kazakhstan military plane crash 'kills 27' near Shymkent". BBC News. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ a b "UPDATE 2-Kazakh military plane crashes, all 27 on board killed". Reuters. 25 December 2012. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Border Guard Plane Crashes in Kazakhstan, 27 Dead". RIA Novosti. 25 December 2012. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ "Kazakhstan military plane crashes, killing 27 near border with Uzbekistan". The Washington Post. 25 December 2012. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ "Pilot Error, Bad Weather Caused Shymkent Plane Crash". The Gazette of Central Asia. Satrapia. 22 January 2013.
