What: Aero-Services for Trans Air Congo Ilyhushin IL-76T freighter en route from Pointe Noire to Brazzaville Where: Brazzaville When: Nov 30 2012 Who: 32 fatalities, 14 injured Why: The Armenian crew fatalities of the crashed Trans Air Congo cargo jet have been named:
Varazdat Balasanyan, born in 1949 (captain of the crew)
Ara Tovmasyan,
Andranik Gevorgyan
Edgar Avetyan,
Tadeos Hovhannisyan
What: Aero-Services for Trans Air Congo Ilyhushin IL-76T freighter en route from Pointe Noire to Brazzaville Where: Brazzaville When: Nov 30 2012 Who: 30 fatalities, 14 injured *Death toll rises to 32 Why: A Trans Air Congo cargo jet landed in rainy conditions in Brazzaville, one report says the plane overran the runway, went through the airport fence, crossed a street and slammed by buildings into a ravine. It was reported that the brakes failed but the Congolese police said rainy weather was the cause. Another report says the landing failed and the pilot crashed when attempting to go-round.
The impact area is a residential area in the Mselou district of Brazzaville
The crew of the jet died in the crash as well as 19 on the ground, and fourteen injured were hospitalized at Makelekelele hospital, Center University Hospital and a military hospital.
Ownership of the plane has been reported all over the board:
1: Air Highnesses/Aero-Service leases the plane to Trans Air Congo. The plane was manned by an Armenian crew. Aero-Service is banned by the EU.
2: The Armenian company RIDGE AIRWAYS LLC, ARMENIA, RDG owns the plane, and it was flying for Aero-Service.
What: Ilyushin Il-76TD-90VD Where: St. John’s International Airport, Newfoundland When: Aug 13 2012 Who: 9 crew Why: On landing at St Johns, the plane overran the end of the runway. The plane sustained some damage as well as runway lighting.
The incident is under investigation. According to the the Canadian TSB, the accident is still in the “Field Phase” during which a team of investigators examine the occurrence site and wreckage, interview witnesses and collect pertinent information.
What: Ilyushin Il-103 Where: Alekanovo, Ryazan Russia When: July 22, 2012 Who: 3 aboard, 3 fatalities Why: Although initially reported as two fatalities, there were three in the crash of the Ilyushin Il-103 in a forested area in the Ryazan region of Russia. The local fire brigade responded.
The plane belonged to businessman Vladimir Kondrakova and was piloted by a test pilot, Vladimir Lubin.
One of those aboard was the 12 year old son of a passenger.
Witnesses said “the crash occurred because the flight had taken too strong a turn, causing the airplane to go into a tailspin and crash vertically into the ground.”
The Regional Ministry for emergency is apparently not investigating because the plane was not certified.
What: Aeroflot Ilyushin IL-96 en route from Goa India to Moscow Russia Where: Moscow When: Feb 16th 2012 Who: 265 passengers Why: After making a safe landing at Moscow airport, while the plane was navigating the runway, its main gear went off the snowy runway.
Passengers disembarked from the stranded plane on to terra firma via mobile stairs.
There were no injuries. The plane had to be towed, tying up the runway until it was removed.
What: Silk Way Airlines Illushin IL-76TD en route from Baku Azerbaijan to Bagram Air Force Base Afghanistan Where: Bagram Afghanistan When: Jul 6th 2011 Who: 9 crew Why: Carrying 18 tons of automobiles and trailers, the flight took off from Baku and lost radar contact 13.5 miles from Kabul. The plane struck a mountain near Akhshay in the Ghorband/Syahgerd district at 19:40 on Jul 5th. Eight bodies were recovered at 12,500 feet.
The cause of the crash is unknown. The distict chief of Siagerd stated publicly that there was a big explosion heard when the plane struck the mountain.
What: Aeroflot Ilyushin IL-96 en route from Petropavlosvk-Kamchatsky to Moscow Sheremetyevo Where: Russia When: Jun 8th 2011 Who: 258 passengers and 12 crew Why: While lining up to take-off, the plane’s nose gear departed the runway surface on to the ground. The plane had to be towed, and caused a runway to be shut down.
What: Yas Air Ilyushin IL-76TD en route from Tehran Mehrabad to Aleppo Where: Diyarbakir When: Mar 16th 2011 Who: crew of freight flight Why: Told that the plane was carrying nuclear weapon parts, the flight was escorted to Diyarbakir Turkey by Turkish F-16 fighters.
What: Sun Way Ilyushin IL-76 freighter en route from Karachi Pakistan to Khartoum Sudan Where: Karachi When: Nov 27 2010, 1:53 Who: 8 crew members Why: While carrying 31 tons of supplies to the Sudan, the plane crashed near Dalmia. Everyone aboard perished in the crash and there were additional victims on the ground. Buildings in the Naval Housing Colony were on fire, 2 buildings destroyed.
Witnesses report that leaving Karachi, the right engine was on fire. The current report is 10 fatalities (The entire crew plus two persons on the ground.) Five bodies have been recovered.
What: Air West Georgia Ilyushin IL-76 en route from Pyongyang North Korea to Colombo Sri Lanka Where: Bangkok When: Dec 12th Who: 5 crew Why: When the plane diverted to Bangkok for refueling, 35 tons of weapons (rocket propelled grenades and anti-aircraft Surface to Air Missiles) were discovered on board.
The crew was detained on charges of arms trafficking.
What: Aria Air Ilyushin IL-62 en route from Tehran to Mashad. The plane was leased by Aria Air from Kazakhstan Where: Mashad Iran When: July 24 2009 Who: 153 aboard. 17 died in the accident. Why: On landing, the nose gear did not deploy; the main wheels sparked on touchdown.
The dead include the first three rows, the flight crew and the cabin crew. Also, there were 19 injuries reported so far.
Aria Air’s managing director Mehdi Dadpay was among the victims
George’s Point of View
This was the second Iranian airliner crash within 10 days. Iran should put their foot down on all airlines, government owned or not to insure that every single plane that takes off is airworthy.
