Azeri passenger plane down

[HowlingWind]

From the BBC:

An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet has crashed after taking off from the Azeri capital, Baku, killing all 23 people on board, officials say.
The aircraft was heading to Aktau in Kazakhstan across the Caspian Sea with 18 passengers and five crew on board.

A police spokesman said that wreckage was found along the Caspian coast, but there was no evidence of survivors.

Russia's Ria news agency said the plane took off at 2119 (1819 GMT) but fell off radar screens 20 minutes later.

It is reported to have come down near the village of Kyurdakhany, about 15km (10 miles) from Baku, Ria said.

The Associated Press news agency described the plane as an An-140 twin engine turboprop.

A police spokesman, who gave his name as Kadykov, told Reuters news agency: "The plane has crashed, 23 people on board are dead.

An operations centre was set up near the Caspian coastline some 20km (13 miles) north of Baku, AP reported.

A doctor at a hospital in Baku said that two bodies were recovered from the suspected crash site.

Baku and Akmau are centres of the Caspian Sea oil industry.


Link to article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4557116.stm)

Edited with updated story including death toll and type of aircraft.

[markflyer6580]

Has this year been the worst for many in terms of crashes?
I can't remember seeing so many in recent years.Lets hope next year is a safer one for crews and pax alike.

[Safe-T]

Contrary to what you may think, 2005 has been (until now) a relatively safe year: 34 fatal airliner [multi-engine, 13+ pax] accidents with 1057 fatalities.

This makes 2005 until now the 3rd safest year since 1945 given the # of fatal accidents. Sadly the 27th safest year in # of fatalities.



(source: aviation-safety.net)

[Smudger]

This year has been a tragic year, statistics aside. Still it goes on. As a professional pilot I do feel real sadness at each event, even though I am not personally touched. We can only carry on doing what we do, carrying people in our aeroplanes to where they want to go in the safest way that we can. Y'all be careful out there.

[Caudillo]

Good to see this is not in the least bit interesting to anyone.

Merry christmas.

[MarkD]

Caudillo - as usual I see the sneering has begun because PPRuNe isn't trying hard enough on non US/European/Aus air crashes. Suffice it to say I doubt the number of Azeri ppruners is so high as to provoke a deluge of information, and PPRuNe policy is that the parade of people giving condolences is to cease, since the default assumption here is that people give a crap, not that they don't. Merry Christmas and a happy Chanukah and fabulous Kwanzaa to you too.

[non sched]

There's the usual speculation, as in nearly every crash these days, that the crash was caused by terrorism

Non sched


Terror is likely in Azeri plane deadly crash - Sources

CMS-AZERBAIJAN-CRASH
Terror is likely in Azeri plane deadly crash - Sources

BAKU, Dec 24 (KUNA) -- The deadly crash of an Azeri commercial airliner could have been the result of a terrorist act, security sources said here. They did not elaborate.

Initial investigations indicated that the plane might have exploded in mid air as many parts of it fell into the Caspian Sea, an Azeri security source said.

The Azeri national television Saturday confirmed the death of all 23 passengers and crew, mainly students under 20, in a crash of a plane near Baku Airport shortly after takeoff on a trip from Baku to Aktau, Kazakhstan.

The television said that the Ukraine-made aircraft disappeared from radar screens minutes after takeoff late last night.

Poor weather conditions and heavy rains hampered the search for the plane wreck and black box.(end) nk.

aj

http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=799916

[3 Point]

Caudillo,

There are a few of us here who fly regularly to Baku and are indeed interested in following any developments! There could very well be something in this or any accident from which we might learn valuable lessons!

Merry Christmas to you!

3 Point

[barit1]

Evidently not too far from shore: MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10588624/)

[brockenspectre]

RIP pilots and pax who died ... let's hope the reason for this loss is found and promulgated so others can learn from it.