A Beechcraft C23 Musketeer airplane crash-landed at Long Beach Airport in California, on the night of June 18.
Authorities said the plane was attempting to land at the runway but rammed into a perimeter fence just before touching the approach end.
The pilot, who was the only one aboard, sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital.
The NTSB and the FAA are investigating the cause of crash.
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What: Itek Air Boeing 737 en route from Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek. The aircraft was operated by Iran Aseman Airlines as Flight 6895.
Where: 2 km (1.3 mls) from Bishkek-Manas International Airport
When: Departed 20:30 local time ; accident happened accident happened at 20:42 24 AUG 2008
Who: killing 68 out of the 90 passengers and crew. All six Kyrgyz crew members and an Iranian aviation official were among the survivors. 51 of the passengers were foreigners, including people from China, Turkey, Iran and Canada. 17 members of a school sport team from Bishkek on board, seven of whom survived.
Why: The crew had reported a technical problem, and the plane crashed not far from the airport and caught fire. Itek Air is on a list of airlines banned from EU airspace because of fears over safety standards. Word of mouth is that the plane had been made in 1979 and was “in good condition and had an extended warranty”.
Note: The Itek Air website says that there were 84 passengers and six crew members on board the accident aircraft. Itek Air says that 68 of the passengers were killed, and that 16 passengers and all six crew members survived the crash, although not without injuries. The aircraft departed Manas International Airport at Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, bound for Tehran, Iran. Itek Air says that the aircraft departed Bishkek at 20:30 local time, and that the accident happened at 20:42. News reports have said that the aircraft was attempting to return to Bishkek, but crashed before reaching the airfield, and a fire ensued.
Status: Preliminary – official Report
Date: 24 AUG 2008
Time: 20:44
Type: Boeing 737-219
Operator: Itek Air
Registration: EX-009
C/n / msn: 22088/676
First flight: 1980-06-16
Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: 7
Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: 83
Total: Fatalities: 65 / Occupants: 90
Airplane damage: Destroyed
Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: 2 km (1.3 mls) from Bishkek-Manas International Airport (FRU) (Kyrgyzstan)
Phase: Unknown (UNK)
Nature: International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Bishkek-Manas International Airport (FRU/UAFM), Kyrgyzstan
Destination airport: Tehran-Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA/OIIE), Iran
Flightnumber: 6895
Narrative:
Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 6895 from Bishkek (FRU), Kyrgyzstan to Tehran (IKA), Iran was carried out by Itek Air. The Kyrgyz airline operated one of their Boeing 737-200 aircraft on that flight.
In the afternoon of August 24, from 16:30 to 20:00 local time, a thunderstorm with associated rain passed over Bishkek. Over that period the wind shifted from 220 degrees to 100 degrees at 20:30. Wind was blowing at about 6 kts, with wind variable at 23 knots. The temperature had dropped from 31 to 27 degrees C.
The weather then improved and at the time of departure visibility was more than 10 km with 6/8 clouds at an altitude of 5000 m (ca 16400 ft).
The Boeing 737 was cleared to taxy to runway 08 for departure. Take off was commenced at 20:30. The flight was cleared for a DW-1 departure, which entailed a left turn after takeoff to a heading of 240 degrees towards the RENAT beacon. From there it was to continue to the Chaldovar NDB, which should be crossed at or above FL158.
At 20:36:40, the airplane was climbing through an altititude of 3000m (almost 10.000 feet). At that moment the cabin altitude alert horn probably sounded, because the crew reported problems with the cabin pressure.
The crew decided to return to Bishkek and requested a visual approach to runway 08. This was approved and the airplane made a right hand turn, for a straight-in approach to runway 08. At 20:41:40 the crew reported the runway in sight. About 20:42:30 the flight was 12 km from the runway, flying at 400 m above airfield elevation at an airspeed of 460 km/h (250 kts). At a distance of 5 km from landing, the airplane had decelerated to 340 km/h (185 kts), but it was not properly configured for landing. The flight crew then obtained permission to carry out a left-hand orbit in order to configure the plane for landing. A left hand turn was flown with a 30-degree bank.
In the process of ther turn the aircraft descended further with the airspeed decreasing to 290 km/h (155 kts).
The airplane struck terrain some 7.5 km from the runway. At the time of impact the landing gear was down and flaps were selected down at 15 degrees. (src=http://aviation-safety.net/db)
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The pilot and passenger remained unharmed. Their identities have not yet been disclosed by the authorities. The plane sustained minor damage after landing in high winds while en route from Golden to Boulder County. The plane landed on the golf course’s 547-yard par 5 second fairway.
The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, Eagle County Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, Greater Eagle Fire Protection District, Eagle River Fire Protection District and Eagle County Paramedic Services responded to the call.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
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