Bizjet fatal crash Northern Iraq Feb 4/11

[bizjets101]

A small private jet has crashed shortly after takeoff on Friday in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniyah killing seven people, an airport official said.

Among the dead were three members of the flight crew, while the remaining four were technicians and shareholders with Iraqi mobile phone company Asiacell, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. '

The plane, which was a small private jet, crashed shortly after it took off because of bad weather,' he said. 'Seven people have died, including three crew.' A

mong the dead were Bassel Rahim, a shareholder in the mobile phone operator and the brother of Rand Rahim, who was the first Iraqi ambassador to Washington after the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.

Sulaimaniyah, 270 kilometres north of Baghdad, is the second biggest city in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, and is the headquarters of Asiacell.

source; Sky News: Seven dead in private jet crash (http://www.skynews.com.au/world/article.aspx?id=573336&vId=)

[INSUREAVN]

Does any one know who the operator of the acft was?

[bizjets101]

Aircraft had arrived from Ankara, and was headed back to Ankara.

Pilot, co-pilot, flight-attendant, and four passengers on board. Aircraft had just departed; reports of an engine fire?, and an attempt to make an emergency landing in heavy snow at Sulaymaniyah International Airport @ OurAirports (http://www.ourairports.com/airports/ORSU/) .

[bizjets101]

Still mixed reports - apparently troops keeping journalists away from crash site.

Appears aircraft possibly owned/or operated by the Faruk Group Holding/ CEO Faruk Mustafa Rasool based at airport where crash occurred. As there are no Iraqi registered biz jets - ??? Turkish??

No word on aircraft type, again mixed reports have said up to 6 persons burned but alive - but haven't confirmed they were passengers. Sounds like the aircraft itself is on Airport property - though airport reportedly remained open.

[Daifly]

Wikipedia (of all places...) reporting it's a Hawker 850XP.

Hawker 800 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_800)

Take it with a pinch of salt I guess.

[steveb15]

I have read that the aircraft started the day in Beirut and I think there a few OD- Hawkers?

[bizjets101]

Aircraft reported by Aviation Safety Network as a Hawker 850XP with a crew of 3, 2 Jordanians and a Lebanese.

Passengers were an Asiacell Mobile phone director - company being based at the airport where the jet crashed - and three others listed as a Briton, an American, and a Spaniard - listed as businessmen guests' of Asiatech.

There are two 800XP's in Jordan, and two 800XP's and a 900XP in Lebanon.

Asiacell is a division of The Faruk Group Holding - both based in Sulaimaniyah Iraq - site of the crash. Interesting article on Asiacell from 2007; Asiacell and Korek, Kurdistan rivalries play out on cellphones (http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2007/11/investkurdistan315.htm)

[bizjets101]

Confirming aircraft was OD-SKY operated by Sky Lounge of Lebanon.

[IFLy4Free]

Flight attendant was Lebanese. She was a friend.

[Spooky 2]

Ifly4free, was the flight crew American by chance?

[IFLy4Free]

Sorry, I don't know anything about the flight deck, only about Stephanie

[bizjets101]

Flight crew Jordanian and Lebanese.

[bizjets101]

Flight crew Jordanian and Lebanese.

Captain Marwan al-Dhali- Jordanian

Captain Abdallah Yazbek - Lebanese

Flight Attendant Stephanie Louqa - Lebanese

[jetopa]

Excuse me, bizjet 101, but: is it really really necessary to publish their names here? :ugh:

[FLEXJET]

Jetopa, the crew names were disclosed in the below article before bizjets101 posted here, so I think there is no need to shame since it was public information.

http://beta.naharnet.com/stories/en/2730-2-lebanese-killed-in-sulaimaniyah-plane-crash

[jetopa]

I agree with you, FLEXJET, apparently it is public information by now. But still - call me old-fashioned if you like - the repeated publishing of actual names of accident victims gives me the creeps.

I can accept if someone is expressing her/his grief about the loss of a friend.

[steveb15]

Removes any nagging concern people might have been feeling about acquaintances.

[dontdoit]

Try here (amongst others, was quite widely reported in Europe):
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3393861/Brit-died-in-Iraq-plane-crash.html

[lear60fellow]

My condolences to the families.

It´s going to be an interesting post to follow why the crashed, 1 engine failure, snow storm... I don´t want to guess anything but I want to know why they crashed and avoid it myself, we always learn from others mistakes.

[bizjets101]

The Daily Star Lebanon reports the starboard engine stalled just after take-off, and that the Flight Data Recorder was recovered - and is being sent to Beirut Monday morning, and then shipped to the USA for investigation.

Aircraft appears to be a 900XP, if so then it would have the TFE-731-50R engines.

[Fletner007]

Confirming aircraft was OD-SKY operated by Sky Lounge of Lebanon.Good morning, is that this flight was operated privately or under an AOC?
Condolences to the families.
Rgds

[bizjets101]

I've been waiting for the NTSB to release a preliminary on the aircraft but nothing yet, a google search doesn't turn up any info on the operator. I had been told the aircraft was being managed by an outfit 'Jet Lounge' of Beirut. Press reports did say the aircraft had been chartered - but I don't know that for a fact.

The aircraft itself OD-SKY - I have a photo of it - but it doesn't appear on any of the aviation websites - so it is clearly a newly registered aircraft. Photo was taken 2nd week of Jan 2011. In the photo it is listed as a 900XP.

Press reports stated aircraft was a Lebanese 850XP - there is one US registered 850XP's - but I don't know of any OD registered XP's (unless OD-SKY is one?).

[bizjets101]

Aircraft was privately owned, and privately operated - two of the passengers on the plane each owned 1/4 share, along with two other owners. I'm still hearing it was an 850XP - and was registered late last year.

[Fosters]

Spotters forums have suggested that it is ex OE-GRS (850XP)

[Desert Maverick]

OE-GRS , recently sold into Lebanon, on the OD register but cannot confirm exactly what it is yet.:ugh:

[bizjets101]

Okay, aircraft was OD-SKY Hawker 850XP 258804 it was registered to Jet Lounge of Beirut - but was privately owned by four board members of London based equity group MerchantBridge & Company.

MerchantBridge is a private equity fund for rich Gulf families and are investors in Iraqi mobile phone company Asiacell - based in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq.

Two of the passengers were 1/4 owners each in the aircraft.

MerchantBridge CEO, others die in plane crash in northern Iraq | Markets | Headline News | Canadian Business Online (http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/article.jsp?content=b5865503)

[labuel]

The pilot, Marwan Dahleh, was a long time friend of me and my husband. He was Jordanian with American Citizenship. He leaves a wife, four sons, and lots of friend/relatives to grieve for him. Rest in Peace, Marwan.

[poledancer]

Oh my god this is a tragedy I'm a private flight attendant myself and this made me shiver, aviation can be such a big but small place. So sorry to hear about your friend and also the pilots

[Gulfstreamaviator]

I know the airport quite well, but have not operated in Snow or Ice...only Fog.

Just what is the de ice facilty on site.

In a Hawker there is no real excuse for not even hand sweeping the wings.
Been there done that.
We carried small hand brooms.

Glf

[deefer dog]

and the tailplane!