South Airlines Flight 8971

South Airlines Antonov An-24 crash

UR-WRA, the aircraft involved in the crash
Accident summary
Date 13 February 2013, 18:09 Kiev Time
Summary Impacted ground right wing-first near the runway while attempting to land in fog
Site Donetsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Passengers 44
Crew 8
Injuries (non-fatal) 9
Fatalities 5
Survivors 47
Aircraft type Antonov An-24
Operator South Airlines
Registration UR-WRA
Flight origin Odessa, Ukraine
Destination Donetsk, Ukraine

On 13 February 2013, at 18:09 Kiev Time,[1] a Ukrainian South Airlines Antonov An-24 plane commencing chartered flight YG 8971 crash-landed in Donetsk, Ukraine, leading to five confirmed fatalities.[2][3]

Accident

After a Ukrainian internal flight from Odessa to Donetsk the plane overshot the runway as it made a hard landing at Donetsk International Airport.[4] As of 13 February 2013 five passengers were confirmed dead, while the fate of one passenger remains unclear.[5][6] After touchdown the aircraft had burst into flames, however most occupants were evacuated because they were able to escape from the burning aircraft through a hole in the fuselage left by the crash.[7][1] Eyewitnesses have stated that the aircraft was attempting to land in dense fog and touched down on soft ground between the main runway and the taxiway, other observers reported the aircraft touched down short of the runway, on soft ground.[1] According to flight documentation on board were 36 passengers and 7 crew members; but there were also several unregistered passengers making the total of people on board 52.[8][9]

All 44 passengers were football fans on their way to the match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Dortmund.[10] This match opened with a minute of silence in memory of the deceased.[11]

The aircraft was built in 1973.[12]

Investigation

Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Officer Volodymyr Vyshynsky is in charge of the inquiry which was opened the day after the crash.[8] On 14 February 2013 investigators considered pilot error, faulty ground support equipment and poor weather conditions as possible causes.[7] The plane's pilot blamed bad weather for the accident; while the plane's operator, South Airlines, stated that the plane was in good condition and the pilot should not have landed in the fog and should have diverted to another airport.[7] One passenger mentioned "engine failure during landing".[11]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Accident: South AN24 at Donetsk on Feb 13th 2013, aircraft burst into flames on landing, The Aviation Herald (13 February 2013)
  2. ↑ Reuters (13 February 2013). "AN-24 crash-landing kills 5 in Donetsk". Russia: RT. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  3. ↑ CNN Staff (14 February 2013). "Deaths reported in Ukraine plane crash". CNN. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  4. ↑ "Five killed as plane crash-lands in eastern Ukraine". BBC News. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  5. ↑ (Ukrainian) Кількість жертв аварійної посадки літака в Донецьку збільшилася до п'яти Number of victims emergency landing in Donetsk to five, Interfax Ukraine (13 February 2013)
  6. ↑ Balmforth, Richard (13 February 2013). "Plane crash landing in Ukraine kills at least five: officials". Reuters. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Crashed Ukrainian plane hit weather station, Kyiv Post (14 February 2013)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 All five victims of An-24 crash male, three identified, says regional prosecutor, Kyiv Post (14 February 2013)
  9. ↑ (Ukrainian) Заступник голови Одеської ОДА Матковський міг знаходитися на борту літака, що вчинив аварійну посадку Deputy Head of the Odessa Regional State Administration Matkovsky could be on board an aircraft that made an emergency landing, Interfax Ukraine (13 February 2013)
  10. ↑ (Ukrainian) Губернатор: при посадці літака 4 людини загинули, 12- постраждали Governor: when the aircraft landing 4 people died, 12 – suffered, Ukrayinska Pravda (13 February 2013)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ukraine plane crash kills Champions League fans, The Guardian (14 February 2013)
  12. ↑ (Russian) UR-WRA