Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 6895
Encyclopedia
Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 6895, an Itek Air
Boeing 737-219 Advanced (registered as EX-009), was a charter flight operated on behalf of Iran Aseman Airlines
which crashed on 24 August 2008 (at 20:30 local time) near Manas International Airport
in Kyrgyzstan
while en route to Imam Khomeini International Airport, Tehran
, Iran
. It crashed while returning to the airport of origin after experiencing technical difficulties.
Reports state that members of the crew reported "technical issues" with the plane shortly after take off. Within 10 minutes the crew reported a severe loss of cabin pressure. When they attempted to make an emergency landing, the aircraft crashed approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the airport runway and burst into flames. The United States Air Force
sent ambulances and fire apparatus
with firefighters and medical personnel from its base at the airport
in response to a request for assistance. The victims included ten members of a Bishkek
high school sports team (AKA Kyrgyzstan National U18 Basketball Team).
high school sports team (AKA Kyrgyzstan National U18 Basketball Team).
and cockpit voice-recorders
, which were badly damaged in the fire which destroyed most of the aircraft. While disassembling the casing, both the mechanisms of the tape recorder and the tape media in the voice recorder were found in damaged condition, but the MAK attempted to read the data from the damaged media.
The MAK has drawn final conclusions. The report claims that the forward left cabin door was not closed completely, and that the person who closed it was an engineer who was not listed among those (in the Cabin Attendant Manual) who were supposed to close the door. The report concludes that the aircraft originally lost cabin pressure due to this error, but that it was just a contributing factor to the crash. The plane could have landed with reduced pressure, but the pilot failed to maintain visual contact with the runway, failed to properly monitor altitude and ignored automated warnings about terrain proximity (TAWS).
It has been reported that both the captain and co-pilot have been sentenced to five years and five years and two months respectively in a penal colony for the crash.
as ZK-NAS. In 1995, it changed hands to Copa Airlines
, and in 2003 again changed hands to Phoenix Aviation
. In 2005, Phoenix Aviation was rebranded as AVE.com
, and in April 2006, it changed hands to Itek Air.
Itek Air, along with all air carriers certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Kyrgyzstan, is included in a European Union
list of banned airlines for safety concerns and is therefore not permitted to fly over the territory of the EU. In May 2008, EX-009 passed a full technical inspection.
Itek Air
Itek Air, Ltd is an airline based in Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan.-Destinations:As of October 2008, Itek Air operates scheduled passenger flights to the following destinations:People's Republic of China...
Boeing 737-219 Advanced (registered as EX-009), was a charter flight operated on behalf of Iran Aseman Airlines
Iran Aseman Airlines
Iran Aseman Airlines is an airline based in Tehran, Iran, operating scheduled domestic and regional flights within the Persian Gulf area, as well as charter and air taxi services...
which crashed on 24 August 2008 (at 20:30 local time) near Manas International Airport
Manas International Airport
Manas International Airport is the main international airport in Kyrgyzstan located 25 km north-northwest of the capital Bishkek.The airport is operational 24 hours and its ILS system is ICAO CAT 2...
in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
while en route to Imam Khomeini International Airport, Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. It crashed while returning to the airport of origin after experiencing technical difficulties.
Reports state that members of the crew reported "technical issues" with the plane shortly after take off. Within 10 minutes the crew reported a severe loss of cabin pressure. When they attempted to make an emergency landing, the aircraft crashed approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the airport runway and burst into flames. The United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
sent ambulances and fire apparatus
Fire apparatus
A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...
with firefighters and medical personnel from its base at the airport
Manas Air Base
Transit Center at Manas is a United States military installation at Manas International Airport, near Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, primarily operated by the U.S. Air Force....
in response to a request for assistance. The victims included ten members of a Bishkek
Bishkek
Bishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
high school sports team (AKA Kyrgyzstan National U18 Basketball Team).
Casualties
There were 90 people on board (83 passengers and 7 crew) of whom 68 died. At least 22 are reported to have survived, including 2 crew members. The victims included ten members of a BishkekBishkek
Bishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
high school sports team (AKA Kyrgyzstan National U18 Basketball Team).
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total | Survivors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 52 | 1 | 53 | 10 | |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 24 | 6 | 30 | 11 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 83 | 7 | 90 | 22 |
Investigation
The Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK) attempted to retrieve data from the flight-dataFlight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
and cockpit voice-recorders
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
, which were badly damaged in the fire which destroyed most of the aircraft. While disassembling the casing, both the mechanisms of the tape recorder and the tape media in the voice recorder were found in damaged condition, but the MAK attempted to read the data from the damaged media.
The MAK has drawn final conclusions. The report claims that the forward left cabin door was not closed completely, and that the person who closed it was an engineer who was not listed among those (in the Cabin Attendant Manual) who were supposed to close the door. The report concludes that the aircraft originally lost cabin pressure due to this error, but that it was just a contributing factor to the crash. The plane could have landed with reduced pressure, but the pilot failed to maintain visual contact with the runway, failed to properly monitor altitude and ignored automated warnings about terrain proximity (TAWS).
It has been reported that both the captain and co-pilot have been sentenced to five years and five years and two months respectively in a penal colony for the crash.
Aircraft
The crashed plane first flew on June 16, 1980 and was delivered on July 1 of the same year to Air New ZealandAir New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
as ZK-NAS. In 1995, it changed hands to Copa Airlines
Copa Airlines
Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A., operating as Copa Airlines ', is an airline based in Panama City, Panama, and serves as Panama's flag carrier...
, and in 2003 again changed hands to Phoenix Aviation
Phoenix Aviation
Phoenix Aviation was an airline based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It was established and started operations in 1996 and operated passenger and freight services...
. In 2005, Phoenix Aviation was rebranded as AVE.com
AVE.com
AVE.com is an airline based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates with its base at Sharjah International Airport, offering charter flight and aircraft lease services. The airline was established in 1996...
, and in April 2006, it changed hands to Itek Air.
Itek Air, along with all air carriers certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Kyrgyzstan, is included in a European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
list of banned airlines for safety concerns and is therefore not permitted to fly over the territory of the EU. In May 2008, EX-009 passed a full technical inspection.