What happened
A charter flight operated for the Turkish reconstruction firm Kulak was traveling from Adana Airport, Turkey, to Balostan Air Base, located approximately 70 km north of Baghdad. The flight, which departed at 06:00 local time, was carrying 30 workers from various nations, including Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Turkey.
During the approach to the destination, the flight crew encountered heavy fog that significantly reduced visibility. After an initial attempt to land was unsuccessful due to the inability to identify the runway, the captain executed a go-around procedure. During a subsequent attempt to land, the aircraft descended below the required altitude and struck the ground 2.5 km before reaching the runway. The impact caused the aircraft to burst into flames.
Findings
The accident resulted in 34 fatalities and one serious injury. The primary factor contributing to the crash was insufficient altitude during the second approach attempt while operating in low-visibility conditions.