Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217
Encyclopedia
Azerbaijan Airlines
Flight 217 was a scheduled passenger flight between Baku
and Aktau
, Kazakhstan
that crashed into the Caspian Sea
at CA 22:40 on 23 December 2005. The flight was operated by an Antonov An-140
.
, the flight crashed into the Caspian Sea
killing all passengers and crew.
's and cancelled any future plans of acquiring more of the Ukrainian
-built aircraft.
Azerbaijan Airlines
Azerbaijan Airlines is the national flag carrier of Azerbaijan with a main base in the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku, operating a network of scheduled passenger and cargo services. Member of IATA....
Flight 217 was a scheduled passenger flight between Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
and Aktau
Aktau
Aktau , formerly known as Shevchenko , is a city in Kazakhstan's Mangyshlak Peninsula and country's only seaport on the Caspian Sea. It is the capital of Mangystau Province in western Kazakhstan...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
that crashed into the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
at CA 22:40 on 23 December 2005. The flight was operated by an Antonov An-140
Antonov An-140
|-Accidents and Incidents:The An-140 has suffered five major accidents. Two of them had no fatalities, and three had all on board killed.#In December 2002 an aircraft carrying many of Ukraine's top aviation designers and engineers crashed into a mountainside as it was preparing to land in...
.
The accident
About 5 minutes after Flight 217 departed Baku Airport the crew reported system failure. As it was night time the crew had difficulties determining the correct heading, altitude, and attitude. Whilst attempting to return to BakuBaku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, the flight crashed into the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
killing all passengers and crew.
Aftermath
Following the accident, Azerbaijan Airlines grounded the remaining Antonov An-140Antonov An-140
|-Accidents and Incidents:The An-140 has suffered five major accidents. Two of them had no fatalities, and three had all on board killed.#In December 2002 an aircraft carrying many of Ukraine's top aviation designers and engineers crashed into a mountainside as it was preparing to land in...
's and cancelled any future plans of acquiring more of the Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
-built aircraft.