What happened
On March 24, 2000, Sky Cabs flight SCB702, a cargo operation, departed from Bangkok, Thailand, bound for Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The aircraft, an An 12, had previously completed a leg from Colombo to Bangkok the previous evening without incident. Before the return departure from Bangkok at 05:40 hours, the crew had reviewed weather reports from the Aero Meteorological Division and refueled the aircraft to a total of 14,981 kg of fuel. The flight plan designated Male International in the Maldives as the alternate airport.
During the flight, the crew maintained contact with Sri Lankan air traffic control, receiving updated weather information and a Sigmet. At 10:42 hours, the flight was transferred to the approach radar controller. After being queried for its position relative to the KAT DVOR/DME, the crew reported being on the 074 radial at 55 DME and indicated they were prepared for descent.
Following two failed attempts to land using the ILS approach for runway 04, the aircraft attempted a third approach, this time targeting runway 22. While maneuvering on a radar heading to establish the ILS for runway 22, the aircraft impacted the ground. The crash occurred at 12:04 hours, approximately 1.2 N.M. north-northwest of the runway 22 threshold. The accident resulted in nine fatalities, consisting of six crew members and three individuals on the ground.