Plane down in Donetsk, Ukraine.

[cldrvr]

RTRS reporting, no details.

[Jack1985]

Apparently a crash landing.

[cldrvr]

Southern Airlines Odessa-Donetsk.

Few details.

Airplane makes crash landing in Ukraine: report | Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/13/us-ukraine-plane-idUSBRE91C1A220130213)

[cldrvr]

Interfax reporting as AN-24.

45 on board, 2 fatalities, 4 unaccounted for.

Two passengers killed in aircraft emergency landing in Donetsk, information on four more being checked, says Emergencies Service (http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/140501.html)

[Karel_x]

Charter flight operated by air company Южные авиалинии (South Airlines). 36+8 onboard, 12 medium severe injured, 4 dead, 3 unknown state under wreckage, lifted now by crane.
Reportedly short of (or little aside) at emergency landing (unreported reason) in fog, gear collapsed, turned gears up and broke into 3 pieces at the beginning of RWY. By witness little of fire from engine..? Now only leakage of fuel.

Another media version - problem with brakes and veering the RWY.

Pax were reportedly football fans going to the match Borussia Dortmund vs. Шахтер (Miner) Donetsk, bussinesmen and Odessa local politics, incl. women and one boy.

An-24RV, UR-WRA, 1973 (40 years) , data 2009: 50,100 hrs, 32,000 cykles

foto:
UR-WRA South Airlines Antonov An-24RV - Planespotters.net Just Aviation (http://www.planespotters.net/Aviation_Photos/photo.show?id=344669)

[Kelly Hopper]

We were trying to get into Donetsk at the same time last night. We cancelled! WX was horrible and no forecast of an improvement all night. Vis never got above 350m so what was he doing making an approach?

[Passenger 389]

From the Associated Press:

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- A plane that crashed at a Ukrainian airport, killing five people, hit the airport's weather station while landing in thick fog, officials said Thursday.

The Soviet-built An-24 twin-engined turboprop carrying soccer fans headed for a match against a German team crashed while trying to land at Donetsk airport Wednesday evening. Of the 44 passengers and eight crew on board, five were killed and nine others injured.

Donetsk Prosecutor Volodymyr Vyshinsky said the plane, which was flying from the Black Sea port of Odessa, grazed the weather station with its left wing as it was approaching the landing strip, then hit the ground with its right wing and broke into two pieces.


The plane's pilot Serhiy Meloshenko blamed bad weather for the accident.
"There was heavy fog," Meloshenko told Channel 5 television in a weak voice from a hospital bed. "The landing strip was poorly visible, or to be more precise, it was not visible at all."

[beamender99]

Ukrainian officials seek cause of Donetsk crash | euronews, world news (http://www.euronews.com/2013/02/14/officials-in-ukraine-investigate-donetsk-crash/)

Donetsk plane crash survivors describe ‘nightmare’ | euronews, world news (http://www.euronews.com/2013/02/14/donetsk-plane-crash-survivors-describe-nightmare)

[jcjeant]

Hi,

The plane's pilot Serhiy Meloshenko blamed bad weather for the accident.
"There was heavy fog," Meloshenko told Channel 5 television in a weak voice from a hospital bed. "The landing strip was poorly visible, or to be more precise, it was not visible at all." :eek:
So why in first place he try to land ?
Instead blame bad weather .. he must blame himself .. imho

[Sunamer]

Short video.
Крушение �амолета ��-24 в Донецке, 13.02.2013 - YouTube (http://youtu.be/adDy_KM_5Po)

[SOPS]

What is it with Eastern Europe and trying to land in impossible conditions?

[transilvana]

We got into donestk yesterday afternoon, was shunny above clouds, dark night below.

[Hotel Tango]

So why in first place he try to land ?

Perhaps pressonalitis from either commercial pressure or a personal wish to get pax to their one-off football event which was the reason for the charter.

[Dont worry]

Why interviewing this idiot. Take his licence away and put im into jail.
We where diverting into Mariupol about 20 min after this happened.

[His dudeness]

Why interviewing this idiot. Take his licence away and put im into jail.

Mhhyes...why bother to check why it happened? Hope IF you will have an accident one day the authorities are not of your opinion.

[Hotel Tango]

Would be interesting to compare METARs for both Mariupol and Donetsk at the time of the accident.

When you say 20 minutes Don't worry, are you talking flying time or surface transport time? 20 mins flying can equate to a couple of hours by road. Then there would be a need to re-organise surface transport to the stadium. Time was probably not on their side and with the handling, and most probably a coach waiting to transfer pax directly to the football stadium, I suppose there was a bit of pressure to give Donetsk a try at least. For all we know it had already been decided by the FD crew that if they needed to go around that they would go to Mariupol. They won't be the first crew to attempt an approach in marginal conditions "to have a look".

[Dont worry]

Dont be rediculous.
The weather was definately not CAVOK but absolutely above CAT 1 in UKCM and on the edge for UKCC.

I am just refering to the given interview or statement of this guy where he is blaming the weather for the crash. Heeellllllooooo. If you can not legaly fly it, then dont do it. Dont blame the airport, weather or something else for your wrong decision making or for you not having the balls to divert.

[transilvana]

Well, FZFG 200mts and VV001 is well below minimums for a CAT I.

[TC_Ukraine]

Investigation is over. Crew error.
video:
? - YouTube
At 1:20 captain said "full power" when IAS was 190 kmh. Moment later tried to retract landing gear, but it was too late.

[Hotel Tango]

Might be wrong but for me the final impact area doesn't seem to match up with the actual pictures I've seen. And what about the visibility at the time? Were they too high and off CL when they saw the runway?

[captplaystation]

Russia. . . .or at least what was (former) Soviet Union. . .if we look at the record of past 30-40 years is there anything else to say ? ? I don't think so.
I worked for airBaltic, & saw the "era" before (still there in the former Sovs still employed) I don't blame them/ I don't criticise them. . but, I saw how it was. . . . and assuredly it WAS how I saw.

[grimmrad]

Did you see them driving cars in that area? Just google Car crash compilation and you get tons of dashboard videos of their crazy driving. A russian colleague of mine agreed btw. If they fly like that...